Chitradurga: Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra, popularly known as ‘Puppy’, was arrested on Saturday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the anti-money laundering law in connection with an alleged illegal betting racket operating both online and offline.
The agency said it seized ₹12 crore in cash, including foreign currency, gold jewellery worth ₹6 crore, about 10 kilograms of silver, and four vehicles during searches conducted across multiple states on Friday. The ED, however, did not disclose the exact location of the recoveries.
According to officials, the 50-year-old legislator from Chitradurga was taken into custody in Sikkim and produced before a designated magistrate in Gangtok, where a transit remand was obtained to bring him to Bengaluru. The Bengaluru zone of the ED is leading the investigation.
The agency revealed that Veerendra had travelled to Gangtok with associates for a business visit related to leasing a casino. During raids, the ED also seized property-related documents belonging to his brother K C Nagaraj and his son Pruthvi N Raj.
The ED further claimed that another of Veerendra’s brothers, K C Thippeswamy, is managing online gaming operations from Dubai.
The investigation into the betting case is ongoing.
