A team of 11 CBI officers started searching at the palatial residence of Jagan at Lotus Pond at Banjara Hills on Thursday. Separate teams were formed to conduct the searches after the central agency on Wednesday approached the CBI Special Court to seek search warrants for over 90 locations owned by as many as 32 corporates and some individuals who have invested in the firms owned by Jagan.
Jaganmohan is one of India's wealthiest politicians. PTI
The high court, based on separate petitions filed by Textile Minister P Shankar Rao and TDP leader Yerran Naidu, had recently ordered the CBI to probe the alleged illegal assets that the Kadapa MP had amassed during his father’s regime as Chief Minister.
Firstpost had earlier carried a series of reports centering around his reported wealth. Reddy, who launched his own party—the YSR Congress—earlier this year, sees “witch-hunting” at work on the part of the Congress. His disenchantment with the Congress was triggered by the party refusing to name him as the new chief minister after his father’s death.
The investigation into Reddy’s wealth was sanctioned by the Andhra High Court. Reddy moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the 10 August order of the High Court, saying it was not a reasoned decision.
In another development, CBI searched the premises of AP Principal Secretary (Home) B P Acharya and also registered a case against Dubai-based Emaar properties and searched the premises of real estate developer Emaar-MGF in Hyderabad and Delhi.
It is a case of conspiracy between Andhra Pradesh government officials and Emaar in the development of villas and apartments, the agency said.
