Mining baron from Bellary and former BJP Minister G Janardhan Reddy who was in news for conducting a lavish wedding of his daughter in Bengaluru is once again back in news. This time a driver Ramesh Gowda who allegedly committed suicide blamed him in a suicide letter for mentally harassing him also revealed to know how Reddy converted Rs 100 crore black money into white.
The driver also alleged that a 20 per cent commission was paid to a Karnataka Administrative Service officer, for helping Reddy in converting his unaccounted money. The driver committed suicide on Tuesday, claiming that that he ‘knew’ that politician and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy converted Rs 100 crore black money into white.
The driver, Ramesh Gowda, committed suicide by consuming poison in Maddur, said a report. He worked as driver to special land acquisition officer Bheema Nayak in Bengaluru.
“Nayak had met Reddy and Sriramulu (BJP MP) at Parijata guest house on 28 October along with another person to discuss about contesting the 2018 Assembly elections from Hagaribom-manahalli constituency and had agreed to give Rs 25 crore for it," the hand written death note of Ramesh alleged.
It said “He (Nayak) had visited Taj Hotel on 15 November, and had claimed in front of me about giving Rs 25 crore white money for Reddy daughter’s wedding, and had visited Sriramulu's residence at Woodlands hotel frequently”. The note mentioned registration numbers of the vehicles used. “He (Nayak) had got converted Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes belonging to them (Reddy) worth Rs 100 crores for 20 per cent (commission) to Rs 50, 100 and 2000 notes. As I was aware of all these things, they had threatened me of dire consequences and told me they will get me killed from rowdies,” it alleged.
The suicide note claims that Reddy along with BJP MP Sriramulu met Nayak several times in a five star hotel in Bangalore before Reddy's daughter’s wedding in November. Along with 20 percent cut, Nayak wanted Reddy to help him get a ticket to contest the 2018 Karnataka elections. A case has been booked against Nayak and his driver Mohammed.
Reddy was in the news in November for spending Rs 500 crore on his daughter’s wedding, and reportedly inviting 50,000 guests, at a time when banks have been ordered to limit withdrawals due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.
The mining baron, who spent three years and four months in prison, is out on conditional bail in graft cases related to the multi-crore mining scam in Andhra Pradesh and in Karnataka. Reports had claimed that Reddy spent huge money on his daughter Bramhani's wedding on November 16.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested the tainted baron on September 5, 2011 from his house at Bellary in the stateRs s mineral-rich northern district along with his brother-in-law and his Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC) managing director BV Srinivasa Reddy and drove them to Hyderabad central jail in neighbouring Telangana.
In the main case, ReddyRs s company (OMC) was accused of altering mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Bellary reserve forest, spanning the border districts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.