ACB sleuths have arrested rowdy-sheeter Yadagiri Rao, who has allegedly brokered the cash-for-bail deal between CBI judge Pattabhi Rama Rao and Karnataka former minister Gali Janardana Reddy, here on Monday morning.
Yadagiri has disappeared as soon as the bail scam came to light, and has been evading arrest ever since. ACB authorities found that he was holed up in Kurnool and nabbed him.
Meanwhile, another team of the ACB has raided the house of Yadagiri in Nacharam in Hyderabad, and seized Rs. 2.25 crore in cash. The team which has searched his house for three hours Monday morning, found several interesting facts. Yadagiri Rao has hidden the Rs. 2.5 crore cash he has received from the followers of Gali Janardana Reddy in a overhead water tank. They also seized
several valuable documents hidden in two gunny bags and kept in a house under construction nearby.
It is learnt that Yadagiri Rao was being kept at a secret place and being questioned. Sources said that ACB sleuths have started searches at several other places, basing on the information being given by Yadagiri Rao during the interrogation.
It may be mentioned here that ACB judge Pattabhi Rama Rao was charged with agreeing to grant bail to Gali Janardana Reddy, in return for a bribe of Rs. 10 crore. The deal was brokered by Yadagiri and retired judge Chalapathi Rao, who was a class mate of Pattabhi. ACB authorities have already arrested Pattabhi, his son Ravi Chandra and Chalapati Rao. Ravi Chandra and Chalapathi Rao
have also given confessional statements admitting their involvement in the crime. Ravi Chandra in his confessional statement brought the name of another judge Prabhakara Rao into the scam. He said this judge working with the Election Commission has brought an offer of Rs. 10 crore from Gali Janardana
Reddy. He said his father however chose the offer brought by retired judge Chalapati Rao as he was a childhood friend and could be trusted. Ravi Chandra also said that this Prabhakara Rao has later questioned them several times after Gali Janardana Reddy was granted bail, about the identity of the
person through whom the deal was finalized. He said he had even threatened to report about this deal to the police. (NSS)