Bangalore. A police case was registered on Monday against two officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing a Rs 187 crore scam in Karnataka. They are accused of pressuring a state government official to ‘implicate’ Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Finance Department. The Wilson Garden police have registered a case against the two officials on a complaint by Additional Director of Social Welfare Department Kalesh B (54). This incident happened just hours after Congress MLA and former Tribal Affairs Minister B Nagendra was sent to judicial custody by a local court.
The two officers against whom the police have registered a case have been identified as ED Assistant Director Murali Kannan and his boss Mittal, who is an IRS officer, asked him to reveal the names of the then minister Nagendra and the finance department officials who had instructed him to transfer the funds. He alleged that the two officers, using their power, said that if he did not reveal their names, they would send him to jail under such IPC sections under which he would not get bail for two years.
Today’s weather: Delhi-NCR will be troubled by humidity or there will be heavy rain, IMD alert for these states along with UP-Bihar
There is an allegation of a scam of 187 crores
It is worth noting that apart from the Special Investigation Team formed by the Karnataka government, the CBI is also investigating the alleged embezzlement of Rs 187 crore, which includes illegal transfer of Rs 88 crore to Hyderabad-based companies. Kallesh said that during the interrogation on July 16, Kannan asked him 17 questions and he answered them immediately. He alleged that Kannan asked him to name former minister B. Nagendra, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Finance Department in the case.
Accusation of threat to implicate CM
Further, Kallesh said that Mittal allegedly threatened to implicate him in the case and said that if he wanted the ED to help him, he should name the Chief Minister, Nagendra and the Finance Department. The complainant claimed that though he was not involved in the crime, he was called and threatened and asked to give in writing that the Chief Minister, former ministers and officials of the Finance Department were involved in it. (with language input)
Tags: enforcement directorate, Karnataka
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 23, 2024, 07:55 IST
