Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru(DC)

Bengaluru, Nov 11: Mining baron and former BJP minister Gali Janardhana Reddy has been denied bail by a court and has been sent to Parappana Agrahara prison here on Sunday, November 11.

Reddy who was arrested on Sunday afternoon allegedly for shielding a father-son duo who have been accused of running a Ponzi scheme in the name of ‘Islamic Banking’ was produced before a judge after medical test. He has been sent to judicial custody till November 24. His anticipatory bail plea will be heard on Monday November 12.

Reddy, who was absconding untill recently, had on Saturday arrived at the Crime Branch office in Bengaluru for questioning in connection with the Ambident Group alleged bribery case.

The influential mining baron, who came to the Central Crime Branch office in a car along with his battery of lawyers, had earlier released a video message from an unknown location, saying that he would appear for questioning in the case.

After arriving at the Crime Branch office, Reddy claimed that there was a 'political conspiracy' and added that he had full faith in the police.

In his video message, Reddy had claimed that he was not absconding and was very much in the city while asserting that there was no need for him to flee. He also rubbished media reports that he had fled to Hyderabad or some other city, as per PTI.

The CCB had launched a hunt for him since Wednesday in connection with a money transaction worth crores of rupees, allegedly linked to a Ponzi scheme being run by Ambident Group, a private enterprise, which allegedly cheated thousands of depositors.

Its owner Syed Ahmed Fareed had claimed that he allegedly paid Rs 18 crore to Reddy for help after his group came under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate.

Reddy, a powerful minister during the previous BJP rule, had been arrested by the CBI in 2011 over alleged multi-crore illegal mining scam and granted bail three years later.