CBI team in Bellary to investigate illegal mining

Trouble appears to be brewing for the politically powerful Reddy brothers in Bellary, Karnataka with a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation visiting the place to inquire into alleged illegal mining there.

A CBI team arrived in the mining town on Thursday morning and began inquiries. The CBI inquiry comes after complaints that the Reddy-owned Obalipuram Mining Company was undertaking operations illegally in Bellary.

The CBI team would be in Bellary till December 13. They have started verifying documents and other records pertaining to the mines in Bellary.

Meanwhile, Janardhan Reddy, the mine owner who is also the tourism minister in the B S Yeddyurappa-led Bharatiya Janata Party government, has rushed to Bellary. He said that he would cooperate with the investigation, but also added that he did not mind anyone digging into the records. "Let them dig, I am confident they won't find anything since my business is legal," he added.