JOIN USThe Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday took over the investigations into the lottery scam in the State, three months after the State government requested a probe by the apex probe agency into the scam.
A CBI spokesperson said that a case of criminal conspiracy and cheating under IPC has been registered against the suspected lottery operator Pari Rajan and others mentioned as unknown in the FIR. The provisions of Lottery Prohibition Act have also been included in the FIR.
“The investigation of the said case has been taken over by the CBI which was earlier registered under the FIR number 64/2015 at Excise Enforcement and Lottery Prohibition Wing police station at KGF in Kolar. On the request of Karnataka government and further directions from Government of India the case has been taken up for investigation,” the CBI spokesperson said.
Acting on the report about illegal lottery scam in Karnataka, the State government had handed over the case to Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Based on the Call Detail Records (CDR) and also on the basis of a police officer attached to the Excise Enforcement and Lottery Prohibition Wing police station at KGF, the CID had requested the government to probe into the role played by senior IPS officer Alok Kumar.
The State government suspended Alok Kumar, who was serving as Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) in the City, on May 23 in connection with the scam. Immediately after this, the government handed over the case to CBI on May 26.
The lottery was banned in the State in 2007, but it is alleged that a syndicate runs the business online with the help of senior police officers. It was reported that Alok Kumar personally knew Pari Rajan, the kingpin of the scam and is said to have interfered in the investigation process.
The CID report to the State government had stated that Alok Kumar had directed a sub-inspector of Excise police station not to arrest Pari Rajan.