The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been conducting raids at 14 locations in Bengaluru and Mumbai linked with Congress leader DK Shivakumar, his brother and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh and his close associate Iqbal Hussain in connection with the alleged corruption and disproportionate assets cases against him.
Karnataka: CBI raids underway at the premises of Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar. More details awaited.
— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2020
As per reports, the CBI has raided 9 locations in Karnataka, 4 premises in Delhi and one location in Mumbai.
According to reports, the Enforcement Directorate had shared details in connection with a money laundering case concerning DK Shivakumar and other Congress leaders with the CBI after which the latter launched raids at 14 locations related to the senior Congress leaders and their aides. One of the residences being raided is that of Iqbal Hussain, a close aide of Shivakumar.
The reports suggest that the CBI first raided the Congress leader’s residence located in Doddallahalli village in Kanankapura constituency at 6 in the morning. Kanankapura constituency is represented by Shivakumar in the state assembly.
As per reports, the CBI team raided Shivakumar’s Sadashivanagar residence in Bengaluru, DK Suresh’ properties in Kanakapura and Bengaluru, and several other locations. The raids started at 6 am on October 5. Congress leaders, including former CM Siddaramaiah and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala have criticised the raids.
Congress leader DK Shivakumar was jailed for siphoning money through hawala channels
The former Karnataka energy minister DK Shivakumar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on September 3, 2019, and lodged in the Tihar jail. The Congress minister was accused of funnelling money to a tune of crores through hawala channels.
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Shivakumar was charged with tax evasion and ‘hawala’ transactions worth crores of rupees.
The alleged money laundering by DK Shivakumar came to light after raids by the tax officials on August 2, 2017, on Shivakumar’s four flats in New Delhi, which led to the seizure of unaccounted cash worth Rs. 8.59 crore without evidence of its source of income.
The tax agencies had filed cases against Shivakumar and four other persons associated with him under Sections 277 and 278 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and Sections 120(B), 193 and 199 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
On the basis of the charge sheet filed by the I-T officials, the ED had booked a money laundering and hawala transaction case in September last year.
Besides, the department had also summoned Shivakumar’s daughter on September 10, 2019, in a money laundering case involving her father after the Income Tax department had found certain cross-border transactions which DK Shivakumar and his daughter couldn’t provide a satisfactory explanation to.
