CBI, which has speeded up the probe into the illegal mining case involving the former Karnataka Minster Mr Gali Janardhan reddy, may affect some more arrests in the next 24 hours.

Alerts received by top journalists of Hyderabad from their Delhi bosses indicate that CBI sleuths may make a swift move today or tomorrow by arresting senior IAS officer Sri Lakshmi who is on leave presently and the former director of the mining department Mr Rajagopal.

Both of them are accused in the illegal mining case for their involvement in granting iron ore mining leases to Gali Janardhan reddy violating rules.

Sri Lakshmi was first named as witness in the case but CBI later added her name to the list of accused. She was the secretary of the industries department when mining leases were granted in favour of Gali Janardhan reddy.

Mr Sasi Kumar, a leading mining industrialist of Karnataka, had given an affidavit to the CBI in the presence of a magistrate that both Sri Lakshmi and Rajagopal had demanded bribes to grant him mining leases. He complained that both of them went out of their way to grant favours to Gali Janardhan reddy in case of iron ore leases.

Rajagopal openly made a statement that there was pressure from the YSR regime to grant favours to the OMC owned by Gali Janardhan reddy.

CBI officials seized files from Sri Lakshmi’s office which said she had altered note files to favour Gali Janardhan reddy in the allotment of mining leases during her tenure.