HYDERABAD: The amount of `5 crore, seized from a truck at Guntakal in Anantapur district on Thursday, was drawn from three banks in Karnataka. The truck driver was asked to call up a mobile number after reaching Katedan here to take instructions as to whom the money was to be delivered.The CBI is likely to file a memo in the court seeking takeover of the entire investigation into the cash seizure. The Anantapur district police filed a petition for the custody of the truck driver and his assistant while income tax officials filed a separate memo seeking the driver’s custody. The hearing on the matter has been posted for Saturday.Sources associated with the investigation told Express that the amount seized was drawn from the ICICI, HDFC and Axis banks in Karnataka. Investigators believe that the money was meant to be distributed as bribes among some persons.‘’The driver was given a cell phone number and asked to contact that person upon reaching Katedan. The call details are being obtained,’’ the sources said.The owner-cum-driver of the truck, Venkatarami Reddy, was given ` 20,000 and promised an equal amount after delivery of the cash. ‘’But he claims he does not know to whom it was to be delivered and that he would have known it only after reaching Katedan in Hyderabad,’’ the sources said. Police are still clueless on the identity of the three persons who engaged the truck driver to transport the huge cash. The cash is said to have originated from a person, identified as Chakrapani Reddy. Unconfirmed reports suggested that Chakrapani Reddy is a relative of BV Srinivas Reddy, brother-in-law of Gali Janardhan Reddy, now in the custody of CBI.Interestingly, even Venkatarami Reddy claims that he is related to Srinivas Reddy and the police are verifying the claim.‘’It is too early to answer these questions. Once we get the custody of the two men, we will be in a position to know more. But we are not ruling out anything,’’ Anantapur district SP Shahnawaz Qasim told Express. The police are likely to approach the three banks to know more about the transaction.Meanwhile, CBI sleuths are likely to file a memo in the local Court seeking to take over the entire investigation from Anantapur district police since they are probing the alleged illegal mining case involving Obulapuram Mining Company and with certain leads suggesting that the seized amount belonged to the Gali brothers. Sources said that the CBI sleuths even questioned Venkatarami Reddy and his assistant till 2 am on Friday. Income tax officials, led by Ramalakshman, met Guntakal DSP Prakash Rao on Friday.All agencies are making their independent enquiries about the source of the money and to whom it was to be delivered. The seized money was deposited in the court.Investigators are of the opinion that the money was meant to be distributed among various persons as bribes. ‘’This appears to be the intention behind transporting the cash,’’ an official said.
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