OMC Mining Case

On Sunday V.D. Rajagopal, the formal vice- chairman and MD of the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation was arrested by the CBI in the case of granting mining leases out of the way to Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC).

CBI Joint Director V.V. Lakshmi Narayana said that Rajagopal was arrested in this case under various sections of IPC including Cheating and Conspiracy and he is also charged under Prevention of Corruption Act. He said that Rajagopal is a third person who is arrested in OMC case. He said that in this case Gali Janardhana Reddy and his brother-in-law and OMC managing director B.V. Srinivas Reddy were already arrested on September 5 from their Bellary residence in Karnataka.

After spending a night in the CBI office on Sunday he was produced at magistrate residence, as the court was closed on Sunday. The Magistrate directed the CBI agency to produce Rajagopal before the special court on Monday.

Rajagopal, is also former Director, Mines and Geology, was managing director of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation from 2004-09, during the tenure of Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Rajagopal is accused along with others in the charge of allowing mining in ‘encroached’ land in the Bellary Reserve Forest area, construction of roads through forest and encroachment on neighboring leases on the Anantapur-Bellary border.

Obulapuram Mining Company is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings in Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border area and of illegal mining in Bellary Reserve Forest area.

OMC Mining Case

Report by Dushyant Tiwari