Two Enforcement Directorate officers were booked on Monday on a complaint by an official of the Karnataka Social Welfare Department who alleged that he was being forced to frame Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former minister B Nagendra and the Finance Department in a case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the state Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, reported The Indian Express.
The first information report against the two officials – Mittal and Muruli Kannan – was filed at Bengaluru’s Wilson Garden police station on the complaint by Kallesh B, additional director of the Social Welfare Department.
The case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of the corporation’s funds and came to light in May after its accounts superintendent, Chandrashekhar, died by suicide. In a note left behind, Chandrasekhar alleged the unauthorised transfer of Rs 187 crore from the corporation’s bank account.
In his complaint, Kallesh said the Enforcement Directorate officials threatened to arrest him over an amount he allegedly deposited at the MG Road branch of the Union Bank of India.
He said he was summoned for questioning by the central enforcement agency on July 16 and Muruli Kannan recorded his statements.
Kallesh said he answered 17 questions on the first day and requested additional time to address the remaining three questions as he needed to refer to some files. According to the FIR, he was instructed to come back on July 18.
The FIR said that after the questioning ended, the officers took Kallesh’s signature on his statement.
“I asked them to give me a copy of the statement,” he said, according to The Indian Express. “They did not give it. Then they started questioning me again. But this time, there weren’t any written questions.”
The officers allegedly told Kallesh that transferring the amount from the state treasury to the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation and then to the Union Bank of India was wrong.
“I told them that I had deposited the money on 25.03.2024 at the bank after submitting bills,” he said in the complaint. “But irregularities in the said bank account took place on 05.03.2024.”
He alleged that the officials told him if he wanted the central agency’s help, he would have to “give it in writing that money was transferred to the MG Road account based on directions by chief minister sir, Nagendra sir and FD [finance department].
The officials have been charged under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for alleged offences of joint criminal liability (3(5)), criminal intimidation (351(2)) and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace (352).
The alleged misappropriation of the corporation’s funds is being probed by a Special Investigation Team set up by the state government and also by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The Enforcement Directorate has conducted raids at premises associated with Nagendra and Basanagouda Daddal, the corporation’s chairperson and Congress MLA. Nagendra, who was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, is in judicial custody.
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