ED seizes Rs 50-crore worth gold in fresh raids in betting case involving Karnataka MLA, others
ew Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has seized about 40 kg of gold worth Rs 50.33 crore during fresh searches in an online betting case that allegedly involves arrested Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra and some others.
The 24-carat gold bullion was recovered from two lockers located in Challakere in Karnataka's Chitradurga district, it said in a statement.
The agency did not disclose the identity of the gold's owner.
The ED had arrested the 50-year-old legislator from the Chitradurga Assembly seat in August. He was held in Sikkim, where he had gone on a business trip to lease a casino. Veerendra is currently in jail under judicial custody, and the ED has called him the "prime accused" in the case.
The federal probe agency had earlier seized assets worth Rs 103 crore in this case in the form of 21 kg gold bars, cash, gold and silver jewellery, deposits kept in bank accounts and luxury vehicles.
It is alleged that Veerendra, in association with other friends and family members, was involved in operations of several "illegal" online betting websites like 'King567' and 'Raja567', among others and "cheated" innocent people.
"The funds collection from players has been routed using several gateways like FonePaisa. The money collected was routed through several mule accounts, which are sourced by these betting operators from intermediaries from all across India," it said.
The probe has found a "nexus" of online betting apps with isolated instances of cybercrime across India, by way of mule accounts created in the name of individuals in exchange for petty sums.
The estimated turnover of these betting applications being "controlled" by Veerendra is more than Rs 2,000 crore, the agency claimed.
It has earlier been claimed that the MLA, his family members and associates booked international travel tickets worth crores of rupees, and these were financed through a network of "mule" accounts linked to proceeds from online betting websites
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
