Mining scam: Cong MLA’s son, close pal arrested

BANGALORE: The spectre of illegal mining continues to haunt Karnataka’s netas. The son of a ruling Congress MLA and his close friend were on Monday arrested by CBI in connection with the alleged iron ore export scam.
VivekHebbar ,son of Yellapur (Uttara Kannada ) MLA Shivaram Hebbar and managing director of a logistics company , and his friend Prakash Hegde were picked up from Hospet in connection with their alleged role in the illegal export of iron ore from Belekeri port from January 2009 to May 2010, CBI officials said.
After questioning , both were taken to Bangalore and produced before the CBI court , which remanded them in the agency’s custody till December 27, they said.
CBI had earlier arrested four MLAs — Anand Singh (BJP), IndependentsBN agendra and Satish Sail , and Suresh Babu of BSR Congress , headed by former minister B Sriramulu , a close aide of mining baron and former minister Janardhana Reddy , in connection with the scam.
The scam was first exposed by former Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde , who had in his report said that 7.74 million tonnes of iron ore were illegally exported between 2006-07 and 2010-11 from Belekeri port.
While some of the accused are lodged in Parappana Agrahara jail , Janardhana Reddy is in Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad in connection with the ongoing probe in the Obalapuram Mining Company case. The CBI is probing the case on the order of the Supreme Court , which set up a Central Empowered Committee.