Former Karnataka minister B Nagendra
Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday detained former minister B Nagendra for investigation in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited. Sources said the Congress MLA was taken from his residence to the ED office for questioning. Scheduled Tribe Welfare Minister Nagendra resigned from his post on June 6 following allegations in connection with the scam.
Raids at 20 places
While being taken to the ED office, Nagendra told reporters, “I am being taken from my house… I don’t know anything.” The ED has conducted searches at several places including the premises of former Karnataka minister Nagendra and ruling Congress MLA Basanagouda Daddal in the last two days. Sources said the agency raided around 20 places in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra in a case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Unauthorized transfer of Rs 187 crore
The case of illegal transfer of funds in Karnataka Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd came to light after its accounting superintendent Chandrasekaran P committed suicide on May 26. A suicide note written by P was also recovered from the spot, in which he claimed that Rs 187 crore of his money had been unauthorisedly transferred from the corporation’s bank account. Out of that, Rs 88.62 crore was illegally transferred to various accounts. These bank accounts allegedly belong to famous IT companies and a cooperative bank based in Hyderabad.
Chandrasekaran had named the corporation’s suspended managing director JG Padmanabha, accounting officer Parashuram G Durugannavar and Union Bank of India chief manager Suchismita Rawal in the suicide note. He had also claimed that former minister B Nagendra had issued verbal orders to transfer the money. The state government has formed an SIT headed by Manish Kharbikar, Additional Director General of Police (Economic Offences) in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the case. The SIT had questioned Nagendra and Daddal on Tuesday in connection with the investigation into the case.