Former Director of Mines and Geology of the Andhra Pradesh government, V G Venkat Reddy, who had been on the run for the past three months after the Telugu Desam Party-led NDA came to power in the state, was finally arrested in Hyderabad on Thursday night.
Sources revealed that Venkat Reddy had actually surrendered to the police, but the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) authorities stated they had arrested him and brought him to Vijayawada in the early hours of Friday.
Venkat Reddy is accused of committing several irregularities in the mines department, allegedly under the direction of former Mines Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, causing a substantial loss of over â¹2,565 crore in royalty to the state exchequer.
Venkat Reddy, who was suspended in July, went into hiding well before his suspension.
The case was handed over to the ACB to investigate alleged violations of rules in tenders/agreements, APMMC rules, sand mining operations, and violations of orders from the NGT and Supreme Court, leading to significant losses to the state exchequer and wrongful gains to private parties.
During the investigation, ACB teams visited the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) office, as well as various Mines and Geology Offices across different locations, and examined sand reaches in all districts. They collected documents and also interviewed DMG officials and other witnesses.
Reports from District Level Sand Committees (DLSC) revealed that private agencies had engaged in mining activities with several violations, such as excavation beyond lease boundaries and permitted depths, without environmental clearances, and using heavy machinery.
Based on prima facie evidence, the ACB registered a case against former DMG Director V.G. Venkat Reddy (suspended on July 31) and others under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, as well as for criminal breach of trust by a public servant and criminal conspiracy under the IPC, along with relevant sections of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act.
ACB officials stated that Venkat Reddy had entered into a criminal conspiracy with six others (private individuals) and was involved in large-scale irregularities.