Indian legislator and casino owner arrested in illegal betting and money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate has seized US$1.4m in cash, gold and luxury cars.

India.– Karnataka Congress legislator K.C. Veerendra, also known as “Puppy,” has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with investigations into an alleged illegal betting and money laundering network. The arrest came after two days of raids across 31 locations in India, during which authorities seized nearly INR120m (US$1.4m) in cash, including INR10m (US$120,000) in foreign currency, gold worth about INR62m (US$720,000), 10 kilograms of silver and several luxury vehicles.

The Chitradurga member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), who owns casinos in Goa, is accused of operating multiple betting websites, including King567 and Raja567. His brother is accused of managing Dubai-based firms tied to these operations. ED officials say evidence points to “complex layering” of funds, with attempts to expand into land-based casinos in Gangtok and suspected links to casinos in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Georgia.

The investigation has led to the freezing of 17 bank accounts and the seizure of property documents tied to Veerendra’s relatives. Veerendra has been remanded in custody until August 28. The ED is reportedly investigating whether profits from online betting were being laundered through casino operations overseas in Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The case comes shortly after India’s Parliament passed a bill banning online real-money gaming. Veerendra, who declared assets of INR1.400m (US$16m) during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections was previously arrested in 2016 over money-laundering allegations during the demonetisation period. 

See also:

See also: India freezes US$12.6m in betting app probe

The Enforcement Directorate has seized US$1.4m in cash, gold and luxury cars. India.– Karnataka Congress legislator K.C. Veerendra, also known as “Puppy,” has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED)…