Hyderabad: A CBI trio—then joint director VV Lakshminarayana, additional superintendent of police RM Khan, and public prosecutor Indrajeet—played a central role in cracking the high-profile Gali Janardhan Reddy illegal mining case, exposing the ₹884 crore scam. Using satellite imagery and surveillance, the team traced illegal iron ore mining in Karnataka, which Reddy falsely claimed was carried out in Obulapuram, Andhra Pradesh.In a covert operation, CBI officers posed as income tax officials, checked into a hotel in Ballari (formerly Bellary), and stayed undercover to prevent any leaks. “We went like I-T officers to Ballari and stayed in a hotel,” recalled Khan, the chief investigating officer. “We avoided any leak of information to Reddy, as Ballari was his bastion. The operation to arrest him was swift and to produce him in court,” he said.The probe was launched after the Supreme Court vacated a stay in 2010, allowing the CBI to resume investigation. While Lakshminarayana and DIG H Venkatesh led the overall investigation, Khan was the lead officer on the ground, with Indrajeet representing the CBI in court.CBI used a combination of high resolution satellite images, 3D laser scanning, and cadastral mapping to prove that no mining had been done in the 68.5 hectares officially allotted to Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) in Anthargamma Konda, Obulapuram. “Scientific methods and technology were used to ascertain that OMC had not mined in the area allotted to them,” Khan explained. “All illegal mining done in Karnataka was shown as mined in Obulapuram,” he said.Lakshminarayana earlier told the media: “The company went into the forest area and took up more mining. We calculated how much cargo was moved from Krishnapatnam dock. We finally confirmed that illegal mining worth ₹884 crore was done. We went to the National Remote Sensing Agency and collected cadastral maps. The resolution of those satellite images was low. Maps with higher resolution were brought from the US. Based on the superimposing technique, we determined the actual mining limits,” he said.As the case progressed, CBI discovered that Reddy had allegedly bribed a CBI special judge through his brother to secure bail. Crores of rupees paid as a bribe was later recovered.Searches at Reddy’s residence led to the seizure of ₹3 crore, 57 kg of gold, and luxury cars, including a Rolls Royce and a Maserati. At his associate Srinivas Reddy’s home, officials recovered ₹1.3 crore, 10 kg of gold, and five vehicles, including a BMW. A Bell 407 helicopter, purchased using illegal proceeds, was also seized from Bengaluru aerodrome.