
New Delhi [India], August 23 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested Karnataka MLA from Chitradurga, K.C. Veerendra, in connection with a massive illegal online and offline betting racket.
Veerendra was arrested from Gangtok in Sikkim under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following a two-day nationwide search operation launched on August 22. The searches were carried out by the ED’s Bengaluru zonal office on August 22 and 23 at 31 locations across India, including Gangtok, Chitradurga district, Bengaluru, Hubli, Jodhpur, Mumbai, and Goa.
In Goa alone, raids were conducted at five major casinos — Puppy’s Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppy’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino.
The crackdown resulted in the recovery of nearly Rs 12 crore in cash, including Rs 1 crore in foreign currency, gold jewelry worth Rs 6 crore, around 10 kg of silver articles, and four luxury vehicles. In addition, 17 bank accounts and two bank lockers were frozen. Property-related documents were also seized from the premises of Veerendra’s brother K.C. Nagaraj and his son Pruthvi N. Raj, along with several incriminating papers.
According to the ED, the legislator’s alleged involvement in betting operations spans multiple states, and the seized assets are suspected to be linked to proceeds of crime generated through the illegal betting network. Investigators found that Veerendra was allegedly running several online betting sites under the names King567 and Raja567, through which betting proceeds were routed.
In a significant revelation, officials said Veerendra’s brother, K.C. Thippeswamy, operates three business entities from Dubai — Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies, and Prime9 Technologies. These firms, associated with call center services and gaming operations, are suspected of being linked to the MLA’s betting and money laundering activities.
“The legislator’s brother, K.C. Thippeswamy, and associate Pruthvi N. Raj are handling online gaming operations from Dubai. Further, it was revealed that K.C. Veerendra, along with his associates, had traveled to Gangtok via Bagdogra on a business visit to lease a land casino. Incriminating material seized during the search indicates complex layering of cash and other funds,” the ED said.
To further trace the proceeds of crime, Veerendra was arrested in Gangtok and produced before the Judicial Magistrate there. A transit remand was obtained for his production before the jurisdictional court in Bengaluru. (ANI)