Karnataka Congress MLA KC Veerenra Arrested in Money Laundering Case; Over ₹12 Crore Cash, Gold, and Silver Seized

Karnataka Congress MLA KC Veerenra has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday in connection with a money laundering case. The arrest followed raids conducted by the ED on Friday at multiple locations associated with Veerenra. During these raids, authorities seized over ₹12 crore in cash, along with gold and silver. Additionally, more than ₹1 crore in foreign currency was recovered. The ED’s investigation, spanning across various locations on August 22 and 23, uncovered an illegal betting and online gaming racket linked to Veerenra and his associates. The ED conducted raids at 31 locations, including Gangtok, Chitradurga, Bengaluru, Hubli, Jodhpur, Mumbai, and Goa, where they targeted five prominent casinos: Papi’s Casino Gold, Ocean Reverse Casino, Papi’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino. The seizures included approximately ₹12 crore in cash, with ₹1 crore in foreign currency, nearly ₹6 crore in gold, 10 kilograms of silver, and four luxury vehicles. Furthermore, 17 bank accounts and two lockers have been frozen. Investigations revealed Veerenra’s involvement in operating online betting sites such as King567 and Raja567, managed by his brother KC Thippeswamy from Dubai through Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies, and Prime 9 Technologies. Another brother, KC Nagaraj, and his son, Prithvi N. Raj, were also implicated. During the raids, the ED recovered crucial documents and evidence indicating attempts to launder the illegal earnings through various layering techniques. Veerenra was apprehended in Gangtok, where he was reportedly attempting to lease a land casino with his associates. He was presented before a local court on Saturday, and the ED obtained a transit remand to transport him to a Bengaluru court.