Mining baron Reddy joins police probe into Ponzi case

Karnataka's mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy on Saturday appeared before the state's Central Crime Branch (CCB) for interrogation in a Ponzi-related case, police said.

"Reddy appeared before our investigation officers with his lawyer in our office for questioning his alleged role in the multi-crore Ponzi scheme case," a CCB official told reporters here.

Reddy's appearance at the CCB office came a day after a city court on Friday declined to grant him anticipatory bail.

The CCB has alleged that Reddy had shielded the accused in the Ponzi scheme from being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Reddy, a former BJP Minister in the state, is on bail in the multi-crore mining scam that rocked the southern state for a decade from 2002 to 2012.

In a video clip released to local news channels hours before he drove to the CCB office in the city's southwest suburb, Reddy denied speculation that he was absconding or hiding in Hyderabad.

"Though I have been in Bengaluru only, I learnt through news channels that I am in Hyderabad. I am going to the CCB office on the advice of my lawyer Chandrashekar in response to its notice," Reddy said in the video clip.

--IANS

bha-fb/shs/bg