Jagan released after lengthy questioning

Hyderabad: After more than seven hours of long grilling by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials about the source of investments in to his companies, the YSR Congress President YS Jaganmohan Reddy was allowed to return home yesterday evening.

The companies include Jagati Publications and Indra Television Ltd.

Jagan will have to return to the CBI office at Dilkusha Guest House today for yet another round of questioning by the officials.

However the tense build up over the possible arrest of the young member of Lok Sabha from Kadapa turned out to be premature as the agency did not take the extreme step postponing it to some other day or possibly until Monday when Jagan has been summoned before the special CBI court in a disproportionate assets case.

Companies

Jagan, who reached CBI's special office at Dlikusha Guest Houseat 10.30am under a security blanket, was first questioned alone about the investments of several hundreds of thousands of rupees made in his firms by other companies.

The land allotment for the Vodarevu Nizampatnam Port and Industrial Corridor (Vanpic) venture by his father YS Rajasekhar Reddy's government in 2007-08 was one of the main subject of questioning by the CBI.

At one point the CBI officials asked Jagan the same question they asked three other accused in the Vanpic case. The other three are, Minister M Venkatramanna, industrialist and promoter of Vanpic Nimmagadda Prasad and the then Secretary, port and infrastructure department KV Brahmanand Reddy.

After a lunch break, Jagan and the other three accused were brought together in the same room and questioned about the links between the allotment of land and various concession to the Vanpic project and the investment of Rs8.5 billion (Dh510 million) by Nimmagadda Prasad in Jagan's companies.

The statements given by the four were recorded by the CBI and will be produced before the CBI court in due course.

While Nimmagadda Prasad and Brahmanand Reddy were sent back to Chanchalguda Jail, M Venkatramanna will spend the night at Dilkusha Guest House.

Sources said Jagan was also questioned about the investments in his company from abroad.

When a tired Jagan drove back to his Lotus Pond residence in posh Jubilee Hills in the evening, it was the end of a very long day for the thousands of policemen who were on the high alert to prevent any possible violent reaction by Jagan's supporters if he was arrested by the CBI.

All the roads leading towards Dilkusha Guest House were closed to traffic causing a lot of problems for commuters.