ED arrested Karnataka Congress MLA KC Veerendra in Gangtok after raids uncovered Rs. 12 crore cash, gold, luxury cars, and casino links tied to an illegal betting racket.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested Karnataka Congress MLA KC Veerendra 'Puppy' in Gangtok, Sikkim, in connection with an illegal betting case.
His arrest came a day after the agency carried out raids at multiple locations linked to him. During the searches, officials recovered Rs. 12 crore cash, gold jewellery worth Rs. 6 crore, foreign currency of about Rs. 1 crore, four luxury cars, and casino cards from around the world.
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Visuals released by the ED showed large stacks of currency notes, along with membership and reward cards from international casinos such as MGM Casino, Metropolitan Casino, Bellagio, Marina, and elite hospitality memberships from luxury hotels like Taj, Hyatt, and The Leela. Among the seized vehicles was a red Mercedes with a Karnataka registration plate.
The ED did not specify which items were seized from which locations, but confirmed that the raids were conducted across several states. The agency alleged that the 50-year-old Chitradurga MLA was involved in both online and offline operations. He was reportedly in Gangtok to lease a casino at the time of his arrest.
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According to ED, “Many property-related documents were also seized from the premises of Veerendra's brother, KC Nagaraj and his son, Pruthvi N Raj. His other associates like another brother KC Thippeswamy, are handling operations of online gaming from Dubai.”
The case is being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Raids were carried out on properties linked to Veerendra and his associates as part of part of the probe.
