New Delhi : In a major crackdown on illegal betting operations following the government’s bill to ban online gaming, the Enforcement Directorate conducted extensive searches across 31 locations in India on Friday and Saturday and arrested Congress MLA KC Veerendra today in connection with its ongoing probe into the alleged involvement of the Karnataka legislator and his associates in illegal online and offline betting.
The ED seized approximately Rs 12 crore in cash, including Rs 1 crore in foreign currency, gold jewellery worth around Rs 6 crore, 10 kg of silver articles, and four high-end vehicles. The agency also froze 17 bank accounts and two bank lockers, while several property documents were recovered from the premises of Veerendra’s brother, KC Nagaraj, and his son, Pruthvi N Raj.
His brother, KC Thippeswamy, was found to be operating three Dubai-based firms—Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies, and Prime9 Technologies—allegedly linked to call centre and gaming operations connected to the betting network. The searches spanned Gangtok, Chitradurga district, Bengaluru, Hubli, Jodhpur, Mumbai, and Goa, including five prominent casinos—Puppy’s Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppy’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino.
The investigation further revealed that Veerendra and his associates had recently travelled to Gangtok via Bagdogra to explore leasing land for a casino. ED officials said that documents and digital evidence indicate “complex layering” of funds to conceal illicit proceeds. Following the recovery of incriminating material, the ED arrested Veerendra in Gangtok on August 23, 2025. He was produced before a Judicial Magistrate in Sikkim.
