Karnataka Cong MLA Veerendra ‘Puppy’ arrested by ED in betting case; Rs 12 crore in cash, gold worth ₹6 crore seized

coastaldigest.com news network
August 23, 2025

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Bengaluru, Aug 23: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Karnataka Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra, popularly known as ‘Puppy’, in connection with a nationwide illegal betting and money-laundering network.

During the operation, ED officials seized ₹12 crore in cash, including ₹1 crore in foreign currency comprising bundles of U.S. dollars, British pounds, UAE dirhams and euros. Gold jewellery worth ₹6 crore, about 10 kg of silver articles, and four luxury vehicles were also confiscated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Veerendra, who represents Chitradurga in the Karnataka Assembly, was arrested in Gangtok, Sikkim, and produced before a local court. The agency secured a transit remand to bring him to Bengaluru for further investigation.

The arrest followed large-scale raids on August 22 across 31 locations spanning Gangtok, Chitradurga, Bengaluru, Hubballi, Jodhpur, Mumbai and Goa. In Goa, investigators targeted casinos linked to Veerendra, including Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino and Big Daddy Casino.

According to the ED, searches revealed that Veerendra and his associates operated multiple online betting platforms such as King567 and Raja567. His brother, K.C. Thippeswamy, allegedly managed three Dubai-based firms—Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies and Prime9 Technologies—that provided call-centre and gaming services connected to the racket.

The ED also froze 17 bank accounts and two bank lockers, while seizing property documents linked to Veerendra’s relatives, including his brother K.C. Nagaraj and nephew Pruthvi N. Raj. Officials said both Thippeswamy and Pruthvi were directly involved in running the betting operations from Dubai.

Investigators further revealed that Veerendra and his associates had recently travelled to Gangtok via Bagdogra to explore leasing land for a casino project. The ED stated that initial findings point to “a complex layering of cash and assets” designed to conceal the illegal proceeds.

The probe is ongoing.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Udupi: The Malpe Police have arrested two men from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sharing classified information related to Indian Navy vessels with individuals in Pakistan, posing a serious threat to national security.

According to a complaint filed by the CEO of Udupi Cochin Shipyard, Malpe—an institution under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways—the prime accused, Rohit (29), was working as an insulator through subcontractor M/S Shushma Marine Pvt Ltd. He had earlier served at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, Kerala, where naval ships are under construction.

Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said the accused had unlawfully shared, via WhatsApp, confidential identification numbers of Navy-related ships and other classified details while working in Kerala, allegedly for illegal gains.

After joining the Malpe shipyard unit, Rohit reportedly continued collecting sensitive information through a friend in Kochi and circulated it to unauthorised individuals, violating national security protocols and potentially endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity.

Based on the complaint, Malpe Police registered a case under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

A police team led by Karkala Subdivision Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada—along with PSI Anil Kumar D, ASI Harish, and PC Ravi Jadhav—conducted the investigation and arrested the two accused, identified as Rohit (29) and Santri (37), both residents of Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

The duo was produced before the court, which remanded them in judicial custody till December 3. Further investigation is in progress.

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Local authorities say the Israeli military has expanded the so-called “yellow line” truce demarcation in Gaza City and repositioned its forces deeper into the territory in violation of a ceasefire agreement that came into force on October 10, besieging dozens of Palestinian families.

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced in a statement on Thursday that Israeli forces widened the boundary by shifting the markers, and advanced roughly 300 meters (984 feet) into the neighborhoods of Ash-Shaaf, An-Nazzaz and Baghdad Street.

The move pushed further into civilian areas, trapping families who were unable to flee as tanks rolled forward, it added.

“The fate of many of these families remains unknown amidst the shelling that targeted the area,” the office said, adding that the expansion of the yellow line shows a “blatant disregard” for the ceasefire deal.

On Friday, sources said the Israeli military carried out continued air and artillery strikes inside the so-called “yellow line” east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the reports, Israeli warplanes and tanks targeted areas within the zone. One Palestinian was reported killed and several others wounded in the strikes, the sources said.

The fresh aggression came only a day after 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis on Wednesday.

The media office reported that Israel has consistently violated the truce deal since its implementation last month, with near-daily attacks by air, artillery and direct shootings.

The office said over 400 violations have been documented. These breaches have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 Palestinians and left hundreds injured.

The Government Media Office in Gaza urged the guarantors of the ceasefire — the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — to take swift action to halt the ongoing violations and facilitate the delivery of food, shelter materials, medical aid, and infrastructure equipment.

The so-called “yellow line,” set out in the agreement between Israel and Hamas resistance movement, refers to a non-physical partition where the Israeli military repositioned itself when the truce deal took effect.

It has allowed Israel, which routinely fires at Palestinians who approach the line, to retain control over more than half of the Gaza Strip.

International bodies, including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and other rights groups, have concluded that the Israeli war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

In the attacks in Gaza since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 69,546 people and injured 170,833 others, leveling large swaths of the territory and displacing almost all of the population. 

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