Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Aug 23: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on five casinos and their offices in Panaji and Calangute on Friday as part of a money laundering investigation connected to Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra Puppy. The searches, carried out with Goa police assistance, began around 5 am and continued into the night.

Veerendra, 50, along with his brother K C Thippeswamy and others, is under investigation for an alleged betting scam in Karnataka. The probe has led to searches at over 30 locations across Chitradurga, Bengaluru, Hubballi, Jodhpur, Mumbai, and Goa. The MLA is suspected of holding stakes in casino businesses in the state.

According to ED sources, the raids relate to illegal online and offline betting operations. Veerendra is accused of running websites including King567, Raja567, Puppy's003, and Rathna Gaming, while his brother allegedly operates Dubai-based entities such as Diamond Softech, TRS Technologies, and Prime9Technologies. The material seized in Goa forms part of the ongoing investigation.

Casino employees were questioned during the raids, and statements were recorded in the presence of witnesses. ED officials were not available for comments.