Bengaluru: The Lokayukta sleuths of Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the state government to investigate illegal mining and export of iron ore, has arrested B P Anand Kumar alias Anand Singh, the BJP MLA of Vijayanagar legislative constituency in Ballari, on Thursday afternoon.
The special investigation team, which is probing the missing of iron ore from Belekeri port and its illegal export to foreign countries, has asked Singh to come to its Hebbal office and got him arrested. It may be noted that earlier he was arrested by CBI on the illegal mining case. Singh, who was earlier arrested by the CBI officials in connection with the illegal mining case, was released on January 23 this year.
Now he has been again arrested by Lokayukta SIT after few hours of questioning. He will be produced before the judge, the Lokayukta officials said.
A press release from the Lokayukta SIT stated that Singh is the owner of M/s S B Minerala and had supplied 17,086.27 metric tons of iron ore from his mining company to M/s Muneer Enterprises Exporters without permission or legal sanction, or for that matter any valid license. The arrest has been made in connection with a case registered on October 20, 2014.
At the same time, the Kudligi MLA B Nagendra, who was arrested by the Lokayukta SIT on March 20, was also granted bail by the Lokayukta Special Court Judge on Thursday. His business partner Nagaraj was also granted bail by the court.
Earlier in 2013 August, the CBI designated court had issued look out notice against the BJP MLA and former Minister Anand Singh, who has escaped to Singapore and admitted in a hospital to avoid CBI arrest. However, Singh through his counsels had applied for bail in the CBI court and was rejected by the court. The CBI had also sought the court to issue look out notice against Singh and to issue red corner notice through the Interpol police to arrest him. Later he was arrested at the Bengaluru International Airport immediately after he arrived from Singapore on October 17, 2013.
Background:
Belikeri iron ore theft case is termed as around 6,000 scam, where, 3.5 million tons of confiscated iron ore that was seized by the Forest officials at Belekeri port near Karward in Uttara Kannada district in 2010 -2011 was exported illegally. The ore was seized by deputy conservator of forests R Gokul and the high court refused to permit it to be exported. Former minister Gali Janardhana Reddy and his Obulapuram Mining Company, several officials and others are the accused in the case. Suresh Babu is facing charges that he was instrumental in exporting the ore under instructions from Reddy.
The iron ore was allegedly stolen by former Minister and mining baron (in jail) G Janardhna Reddy and others and said to have exported to China, Pakistan and other countries through Belikeri port by various companies. In this regard, Lokayukta had already submitted a report to the government and CID police are investigating. The Supreme court asked the CBI to investigate the case.
The state government last year set up another SIT under Lokayukta to investigate this case to investigate overall illegal export of iron ore scam.
