KC Virendra (Social Media)
National News: In a major crackdown, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Karnataka Congress legislator KC Virendra in connection with an illegal betting and money laundering case. Alongside the arrest, ED teams carried out extensive raids at nearly 30 different locations across Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Officials confirmed that jewelry, cash, foreign currency and other assets worth crores were seized during the searches.
ED officials said the raids were carried out at six sites in Chitradurga, ten in Bengaluru, three in Jodhpur, one in Hubli, two in Mumbai, and eight locations across Goa. The Goa searches included five high-profile casinos—Puppies Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppies Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino and Big Daddy Casino.
The probe uncovered that Virendra, along with his associates, was running several online betting portals, including King567, Raja567, Puppies003 and Ratna Gaming. These sites reportedly drew large volumes of illegal money from online and offline gambling activities.
The probe further uncovered that the MLA’s brother, KC Thippaswamy, was running three companies—Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies and Prime9 Technologies—from Dubai. According to ED, these entities were closely tied to the call center services and gaming operations managed by Virendra, indicating an international dimension to the betting racket.
The searches led to a massive seizure from Virendra’s residence. Officials recovered nearly ₹12 crore in cash, which included around ₹1 crore in foreign currency. In addition, gold ornaments valued at ₹6 crore, about 10 kilograms of silver articles and four luxury vehicles were also seized.
ED said that the raids not only confirmed the scale of the alleged betting racket but also exposed how political and business connections were used to sustain it.
Significantly, the ED action comes just days after Parliament passed the Online Gaming Bill aimed at curbing illegal betting activities in the country. The timing of the raids and arrests has drawn sharp attention, highlighting the government’s intent to crack down on gambling syndicates operating through both domestic and offshore networks.
Officials stated that KC Virendra has been taken into custody for further questioning, and investigations are underway to track the full money trail. With Dubai-based operations and Indian casinos under the scanner, authorities expect more revelations in the coming days. The arrest of a sitting legislator in such a high-value case has sent shockwaves through Karnataka politics, raising questions about the deep nexus between illegal gambling and political circles.
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