Mopidevi Arrested For VANPIC Land Allotments

Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana has been arrested on Thursday, after intense CBI questioning for around 7 hours, in connection with his role the allotment of 13,000 acres of land in Guntur and Prakasam districts for VANPIC during his stint in the late YSR's cabinet. He is the first minister to be arrested in the case.

The minister was arrested under sections 120-B, read With 420, 409 and 427 (A) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13, 13 (1) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, for his alleged role in allotment of a large extent of land to the Vodarevu and Nizampatnam Ports and Industrial Corridor (VANPIC) project. He was the Infrastructure and Ports portfolio in YS Rajasekhara Reddy's cabinet when the allotments were made.

The CBI officials questioned Mopidevi Venkata Ramana at Dilkusha Guest House along with industrialist and media baron Nimmagadda Prasad, who promoted VANPIC, and senior bureaucrat K V Brahmananda Reddy for his role as special secretary, Ports, Investments and Infrastructure.

It is being alleged that in return for the 13,000 acres of land allotted for VANPIC, Nimmagadda Prasad invested about Rs. 850 crores in Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's companies.

Mopidevi is the fourth accused to be arrested in the Jagan's assets case. While Jagathi Publications vice-chairman Vijay Sai Reddy was arrested about two months ago, on May 16, the investigative agency arrested Nimmagadda Prasad, the founder of Matrix Laboratories and the original Indian partner of Vanpic project along with senior bureaucrat Brahmananda Reddy.

Among the other ministers of YSR's cabinet being interrogated are Sabitha Indra Reddy, Geetha Reddy, Dharmana Prasada Rao and Kanna Lakshminarayana. (with inputs from INN)