ED arrest Kannada movie producer in Rs 250 crore co-operative society scam in Karnataka
New Delhi, Jan 6: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has arrested the chairman of a Belagavi-based cooperative credit society in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged duping of depositors of Rs 250 crore.
Anand Balakrishna Appugol, the chairman of Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna Urban Cooperative Credit Society in Karnataka, was arrested on Wednesday, the agency said in a statement.
He was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Bengaluru on Thursday which sent him to seven days of ED custody, it said.
He has also produced the Kannada film ‘Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna’ starring Darshan Thoogudeepa.
Prima facie, the ED said, a probe found that the society had collected around Rs 250 crore deposits till March, 2017 from more than 26,000 people by promising them that their money will be returned along with high rate of interest.
"However, the society failed to return the money to the public depositors in time and committed breach of trust and cheated the public at large," it alleged.
Funds of the society were "siphoned off" in the form of immovable and movable properties resulting in depositors suffering huge losses, it said.
The agency's case was filed after studying a Belagavi police FIR against Appugol and 15 others.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
