Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday conducted raids at Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar’s properties in Bengaluru and Kanakapura in connection with a corruption case. Shivakumar’s brother and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh’s house has also been raided by the central agency.

At least 15 locations are being raided by the CBI, news agency ANI reported.

As per sources, the CBI teams conducted raids at DK Shivakumar house in Sadashivanagar in Bengaluru and DK Suresh’s properties in Kanakapura and Bengaluru. The sources also added that CBI SP Thomson Jose led the search operation that began at 6 am today and that the central agency had procured a warrant from the CBI Special Court judge late on Sunday evening.

Last year, Shivakumar was lodged at New Delhi’s Tihar Jail in connection with a money laundering case probed by the Enforcement Directorate. Shivakumar was arrested on September 3, 2019, by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case filed in 2018 following an investigation by the Income Tax Department in 2017, when unaccounted cash to the tune of more than Rs 8 crore was found in New Delhi in locations allegedly linked to the Congress leader.

Meanwhile, reacting to the raids on Monday, former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader called it an attempt to “mislead public.” “@BJP4India has always tried to indulge in vindictive politics & mislead public attention,” Siddaramaiah tweeted. “The latest CBI raid on @KPCCPresident @DKShivakumar’s house is another attempt to derail our preparation for bypolls,” he added, condemning the action.

The CBI raids were also condemned by Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. ” The insidious game of intimidation & machinations of Modi-Yeddyurappa duo being executed by a puppet CBI by raiding @DKShivakumar won’t deter us. CBI should be unearthing the layers of corruption in Yeddyurappa Govt,” he tweeted.

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Let Modi & Yeddyurappa Govts & BJP’s frontal organizations i.e CBI-ED-Income Tax know that Congress workers & leaders will not be cowed down nor bow down before such devious attempts.

Our resolve to fight for people & expose BJP’s maladministration only becomes stronger. https://t.co/AfoJgxOsGl

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 5, 2020

On the basis of the I-T investigations, and complaint to the court of tax evasion and criminal conspiracy to evade tax under Section 120 B of the Indian Penal Code, the ED registered a case against Shivakumar and his associates in September 2018. He was accused of funneling unaccounted money through hawala channels with the help of others. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Shivakumar was charged with tax evasion and ‘hawala’ transactions worth crores of rupees.

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