Was Janardhana Reddy ready for dawn raid?

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The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the once powerful mine-baron Gali Janardhan Reddy from his home in the mining hub of Bellary early Monday in connection with alleged illegal mining by his Obulapuram Mining Company.

The early morning, 4.30 am swoop by the 10- member team of the CBI headed by its joint director, Lakshmi Narayan, on the homes of the former minister and director of the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), Mr Reddy and the company’s managing director B.V. Srinivas Reddy, may have come as a complete surprise to the local police.

But not for the two men, whisked away to Hyderabad where just before the special courts closed for the day, a judge remanded the brothers-in-law to 15 days judicial custody.

Mr Reddy, who along with his brothers, ran an efficient network of informers in the mining town reportedly got wind of the CBI team’s imminent arrival on Sunday evening after Mr Reddy’s older brother, former revenue minister, G. Karunakar Reddy learned of a meeting between Congress leader, K.C. Kondaiah and two mine owners, opposed to the Reddys. At the meeting, the CBI team’s plans to raid Reddys’ premises and arrest them was discussed.

At a three hour strategy session at Mr Reddy’s plush residence Kuteeram, the brothers discounted the CBI team’s feint to lull the Reddys into a false sense of confidence by driving past Kuteeram without entering the premises.

Instead, the cautious Reddys alerted their associate B. Sreeramulu at 11.30 pm of the imminent arrest.

The former health minister, all set to quit the BJP so that he could protect his mentors’ interests was informed that the Reddys’ property, money and documents had been moved to safety, and was now under his care, sources said.

The CBI sleuths, who had arrived in Bellary late Sunday night and stayed at Mayura lodge had maintained such high secrecy that not even the local intelligence officers were aware of the raids until they actually took place, sources said.

While Mr Reddy anticipated his arrest some time in September, the understated arrival of the CBI raid on Monday gave him no time to flee Bellary or arrange for protests of his arrest.

He was asleep when the CBI men arrived at his home on Siruguppa road in Havambhavi. Although security resisted their entry, the CBI men walked in, grilled the former minister for an hour , and producing the arrest warrant, emerged with him from the house at 7.15 am.