New Delhi– In a major crackdown on illegal betting operations, the **Enforcement Directorate (ED)** has arrested **Congress MLA KC Veerendra** from Karnataka. The action follows extensive searches across **31 locations** in the past two days.
The MLA from **Chitradurga** was taken into custody in **Gangtok** on Saturday. He was produced before a **Judicial Magistrate in Sikkim**, which granted a **transit remand** to bring him to **Bengaluru**.
According to the ED, Veerendra and his associates were running **multiple betting platforms** under names such as *King567* and *Raja567*.
During the searches, the agency seized:
* **₹12 crore in cash**, including **₹1 crore in foreign currency**
* **Gold jewellery worth ₹6 crore**
* **10 kg of silver articles**
* **Four luxury vehicles**
The ED also **froze 17 bank accounts and two lockers**, while recovering **property papers** linked to Veerendra’s brother **KC Nagaraj** and his son **Pruthvi N Raj**.
Investigators said Veerendra’s brother **KC Thippeswamy** operated three Dubai-based firms – *Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies,* and *Prime9 Technologies* – allegedly linked to call centres and betting networks.
The searches covered **Gangtok, Bengaluru, Chitradurga, Hubli, Jodhpur, Mumbai, and Goa**, including **five major casinos** – *Puppy’s Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppy’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino,* and *Big Daddy Casino*.
Officials said documents and digital records reveal **complex layering of funds** to hide illicit profits. They also found that Veerendra and his team had recently **visited Gangtok via Bagdogra** to explore **leasing land for a new casino**.
The ED’s action comes soon after the government’s **bill to ban online gaming and betting**.
