Hyderabad, Sep 6 (IANS): After arresting ex-Karnataka minister G. Janardhana Reddy and his brother-in-law Srinivasa Reddy, the CBI will now probe the role of government officials in the illegal mining by the former in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district bordering Karnataka.

A former secretary and a former director of department of mines and geology are among the top officials who are under Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner for allegedly colluding with Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) and other firms of Janardhana Reddy in illegal mining.

The federal agency may grill the officials including some of them from the forest department for turning blind eye to the mining by OMC and its sister concerns in the areas leased to other companies and in the reserve forests, sources in CBI said.

Some top officials also took no action despite having the knowledge of OMC illegally transporting iron ore from the mines in Karnataka to the mines in Anantapur district.

The illegal mining by OMC and other companies owned by Janardhana Reddy during last five to six years caused huge losses to the state.

The CBI hopes to gather evidence against officials and other accused after questioning Janardhana Reddy and Srinivasa Reddy, director and managing director of OMC respectively.

The investigating agency's petition seeking their custody will come up for hearing before the special court Wednesday.

The CBI had arrested the duo after raids on their residences in Bellary in Karnataka early Monday. They were brought to Hyderabad and remanded to judicial custody till Sep 19.

In the remand report submitted to the court, the CBI said it had arrested the duo as they were not cooperating in the investigations.

The accused had reportedly refused to provide information to the CBI regarding their mining operations, forcing the agency to take them into custody.

The investigating agency had also voiced its apprehension that if not arrested the accused would have tampered with evidence.

The CBI has also sought the court's permission to add Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 469 (forgery) in the case registered in 2009.

The CBI has already booked OMC and others for criminal conspiracy, cheating, theft and criminal trespass under various sections of the IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act and Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act.