ED arrests Karnataka Congress MLA Veerendra 'Puppy' in illegal betting case; Rs 12 crore cash seized
Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested Karnataka Congress MLA KC Veerendra, popularly known as ‘Puppy,’ in connection with an illegal online and offline betting racket.
During simultaneous raids across the country, the agency recovered Rs 12 crore in cash, including Rs 1 crore in foreign currency comprising US dollars, British pounds, UAE dirhams and euros. The searches also yielded gold jewellery worth Rs 6 crore, around 10 kg of silver articles, and four luxury vehicles.
Veerendra, the legislator from Chitradurga, was apprehended in Gangtok, Sikkim, and produced before a local court. The ED has secured a transit remand to bring him to Bengaluru for further investigation.
The crackdown, carried out on August 22, covered 31 locations across Gangtok, Chitradurga, Bengaluru, Hubballi, Jodhpur and Mumbai. In Goa, raids were conducted on casinos allegedly linked to the MLA, including Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino and Big Daddy Casino.
According to the ED, Puppy was running online betting platforms such as “King567” and “Raja567.” His brother, KC Thippeswamy, is said to be operating business entities from Dubai — Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies and Prime9Technologies — to support the gaming operations.
Investigators also froze 17 bank accounts and two lockers, while property documents belonging to Puppy’s brother KC Nagaraj and nephew Pruthvi N Raj were seized. The ED stated that his associates were managing online betting operations from Dubai, and that Veerendra had recently travelled to Sikkim to explore leasing land for a casino.
Officials said the case involves “complex layering of cash and other funds” and further investigation is underway.
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Couple, son 'hacked' to death over witchcraft suspicion in Jharkhand's Palamu
Medininagar (PTI): A couple and their 18-year-old son were allegedly hacked to death over suspicion of practising witchcraft in Jharkhand's Palamu, police said on Sunday.
Their minor daughter was also injured in the attack late on Saturday, a police officer said.
The bodies were recovered from their house on Sunday in Panki police station area, he said.
“Initial investigation suggests that the case is related to witchcraft suspicion,” Manoj Kumar Jha, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Lesliganj told PTI.
A manhunt is on to nab the culprits, Jha said.
The girl suffered severe injuries and has been admitted to a government hospital, he said.
The deceased have been identified as Vijay Bhuiyan (45), his wife Kalia Devi (40), and their son Chotu Bhuiyan.
The bodies have been sent to Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) for post-mortem examination.
