Central Crime Branch officials from Bengaluru swooped down on the palatial residence of mining baron and former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy in Ballari on Thursday in a money laundering case, in which Janardhan Reddy is accused of taking Rs 20 crore to strike a deal with Enforcement Directorate officials to drop the case against a Bengaluru-based firm involved in a Ponzi scheme.
Sources said the sleuths entered the mansion at around 6 am when Janardhan Reddy’s wife Ms Lakshmi Aruna was inside, along with her father Mr Parameshwar Reddy and mother Ms Nagalakshamma.
It is alleged that Syed Ahmed Fareed, founder of the firm, Ambidant Marketing Pvt. Ltd paid Janardhan Reddy Rs 20 crore — Rs 2 crore in cash and 57 kg in gold bullion worth Rs 18 crore — by laundering it through two jewellery firms to escape from the ED’s clutches.