Karnataka Congress MLA KC Virendra Kumar has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an illegal online and offline betting case. This action has been taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Illegal Betting Case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested KC Virendra, a Congress MLA from the Chitradurga constituency in Karnataka, from Gangtok in connection with an illegal online and offline betting case. During raids conducted under PMLA, 2002, on premises linked to the MLA, significant assets were recovered. Approximately ₹12 crore in cash, gold jewellery worth ₹6 crore, about 10 kilograms of silver articles, and four vehicles were seized. The cash included approximately ₹1 crore in foreign currency.
Who is KC Virendra Kumar?
KC Virendra Kumar is a Congress party MLA from the Chitradurga assembly constituency. He has often been seen as an active and influential leader in state politics. However, his arrest has now brought him into controversy. The Enforcement Directorate arrested KC Virendra from Gangtok on Saturday. During this action, his premises were searched.
During the search, approximately ₹12 crore in cash, gold jewellery worth ₹6 crore, about 10 kg of silver articles, and four vehicles were recovered. The cash included approximately ₹1 crore in foreign currency. According to the ED's Bengaluru regional office, this action was taken under the investigation of cases related to illegal online and offline betting and money laundering.
Scope of the Search
The scope of the search at premises linked to KC Virendra and his associates was quite extensive. It included the following locations:
- Chitradurga district: Searches at 6 premises
- Bengaluru city: Searches at 10 premises
- Jodhpur: Searches at 3 premises
- Hubli: 1 premise
- Mumbai: Searches at 2 premises
- Goa: Searches at 5 casino premises
The casino premises in Goa included Pappy's Casino Gold, Ocean Reverse Casino, Pappy's Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino. During the search, it was revealed that KC Virendra was associated with several online betting sites named King567, Raja567, Puppy’s003, and Ratna Gaming. ED officials say that these platforms were involved in illegal online and offline gaming and were transacting crores of rupees.
