'Politically motivated': D K Shivakumar slams ED arrest of Karnataka Congress MLA Satish Sail

Satish Sail, 59, the MLA from Karwar in Uttara Kannada district, was taken into custody late Tuesday night after questioning at the ED’s Bengaluru zonal office, according to official sources.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said there was "no situation" for the Enforcement Directorate to arrest Congress MLA Satish Sail, alleging that his party leaders are "being selectively targeted for political reasons." The ED arrested Sail in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal iron ore exports in the state.

"There was no situation for arresting Satish Sail. Things have been going on (in this case) since 2010. For politics, Congress people are being selectively targeted," Shivakumar told reporters here.

Sail, 59, the MLA from Karwar in Uttara Kannada district, was taken into custody late Tuesday night after questioning at the ED’s Bengaluru zonal office, according to official sources.

He is the second Karnataka Congress legislator to be arrested by the central agency in recent weeks. Last month, the ED arrested Chitradurga MLA K C Veerendra ‘Puppy’ in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal betting.

The case against Sail pertains to the alleged illegal export of iron ore by a company reportedly linked to him.

The ED probe stems from a 2010 Karnataka Lokayukta case, which found about eight lakh tonnes of iron ore illegally transported from Bellary to Belekeri port.