CBI seeks 14-day custody of Jagan in DA case

Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy's custody for 14 days on Monday, saying the Kadapa MP's explanations during three days of questioning were not satisfactory. Jagan, who was arrested on Sunday in the disproportionate assets case, was produced before the CBI court in Hyderabad on Monday.

The CBI counsel said that Jagan did not cooperate during the investigation and that they need his custody to ascertain facts. "We are seeking Jagan's custody to confront him with documents as facts need to be ascertained," the CBI counsel said.

The CBI counsel also said that Jagan was "running a hawala racket and it should be looked into as a white collar crime."

Jagan's auditor Vijay Sai Reddy was also summoned by the court. Jagan's wife Bharathi Reddy was also present in the CBI court.

Meanwhile, 800 people were taken into preventive custody in Guntur as the YSR Congress called a 24-hour bandh in the state.

Security was tightened in Hyderabad and other major cities of Andhra Pradesh following Jagan's arrest and the call given by his party for a state-wide bandh on Monday. Jagan's family including his mother and MLA YS Vijaya launched a fast outside their Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed in sensitive coastal districts like Prakasam, Guntur, Khammam, Krishna and Jagan's home district Kadapa.

Railway and bus services are being closely monitored as well.

Jagan, meanwhile, spent Sunday night at the guest house where he was questioned for three days.

With the CBI having filed three chargesheets in Jagan's disproportionate assets case, this was the fifth arrest after the state excise minister was recently taken into custody.

Speaking with CNN-IBN before leaving for the third day of questioning on Sunday and hours before his arrest, Jagan accused the CBI of deliberately delaying the questioning at the behest of the Congress.

"They want to keep me away from campaigning and postpone the by-elections," Jagan said.

Jagan's arrest comes just ahead of by-elections to 18 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat in the state on June 12.