<p>Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has attached Rs 177.3 crore of assets belonging to Congress MLA KC Veerendra 'Puppy' and his associates in connection with the case related to illegal online betting and gambling. </p><p>The attached properties include immovable properties like agricultural land and residential sites along with other movable assets, which have been attached as value of any such property or property derived directly from Proceeds of Crime generated out of illegal online betting/gambling operations, the ED said.</p><p>ED claimed that it has uncovered Veerendra and his associates were the masterminds behind a nationwide illegal online betting network operating through the same modus operandi.</p><p>"The investigation has established that the accused generated substantial 'proceeds of crime' by duping the public through these online betting and impersonation scams. In the scheme, unsuspecting players were induced to stake money on rigged illegal gaming websites which were in the nature of online casinos; their deposits (running into crores of rupees in aggregate) were collected via the payment gateways into designated payment aggregator accounts," the agency said. </p>.ED attaches Rs 1,800-crore fresh assets of Reliance Group companies; total attachment Rs 12K crore.<p>"The victims were initially shown fake winnings to build trust, and then eventually blocked from withdrawals. Investigation has revealed use of hundreds of mule accounts and several payment gateways for laundering of Proceeds of Crime," the agency added. </p><p>Earlier, ED had conducted extensive search and seizure operations across more than 60 premises in several states, during which large quantities of cash, gold bullion, gold and silver jewellery, vehicles, digital devices and incriminating documents were seized.</p><p>"ED had also arrested Veerendra under Section 19 of PMLA, and a Prosecution Complaint has been filed before the Special Court (PMLA). On the basis of material evidence gathered during investigation, ED has provisionally attached assets held directly and indirectly by KC Veerendra, which are reasonably believed to be Proceeds of Crime and properties involved in money laundering. </p><p>"With this, the ED has attached assets worth more than Rs 320 crore in the present case under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002. Further, during the course of investigation, Proceeds of Crime exceeding Rs. 2,300 crore have been identified so far, which were generated through illegal online betting and gambling activities and subsequently laundering through multiple layers of transactions," the agency said. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has attached Rs 177.3 crore of assets belonging to Congress MLA KC Veerendra 'Puppy' and his associates in connection with the case related to illegal online betting and gambling. </p><p>The attached properties include immovable properties like agricultural land and residential sites along with other movable assets, which have been attached as value of any such property or property derived directly from Proceeds of Crime generated out of illegal online betting/gambling operations, the ED said.</p><p>ED claimed that it has uncovered Veerendra and his associates were the masterminds behind a nationwide illegal online betting network operating through the same modus operandi.</p><p>"The investigation has established that the accused generated substantial 'proceeds of crime' by duping the public through these online betting and impersonation scams. In the scheme, unsuspecting players were induced to stake money on rigged illegal gaming websites which were in the nature of online casinos; their deposits (running into crores of rupees in aggregate) were collected via the payment gateways into designated payment aggregator accounts," the agency said. </p>.ED attaches Rs 1,800-crore fresh assets of Reliance Group companies; total attachment Rs 12K crore.<p>"The victims were initially shown fake winnings to build trust, and then eventually blocked from withdrawals. Investigation has revealed use of hundreds of mule accounts and several payment gateways for laundering of Proceeds of Crime," the agency added. </p><p>Earlier, ED had conducted extensive search and seizure operations across more than 60 premises in several states, during which large quantities of cash, gold bullion, gold and silver jewellery, vehicles, digital devices and incriminating documents were seized.</p><p>"ED had also arrested Veerendra under Section 19 of PMLA, and a Prosecution Complaint has been filed before the Special Court (PMLA). On the basis of material evidence gathered during investigation, ED has provisionally attached assets held directly and indirectly by KC Veerendra, which are reasonably believed to be Proceeds of Crime and properties involved in money laundering. </p><p>"With this, the ED has attached assets worth more than Rs 320 crore in the present case under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002. Further, during the course of investigation, Proceeds of Crime exceeding Rs. 2,300 crore have been identified so far, which were generated through illegal online betting and gambling activities and subsequently laundering through multiple layers of transactions," the agency said. </p>
