Bengaluru news: ED conducts searches at educational institutions linked to Karnataka Home Minister

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches at educational institutions that are said to be linked to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara at Tumakuru and on the outskirts of Bengaluru, official sources said on Wednesday.

The searches were underway at Sri Siddhartha Medical College and Sri Siddhartha Institute Of Technology in Tumakuru and Sri Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences in Nelamangala on the outskirts of Bengaluru, news agency PTI said, citing sources. 

The reasons for the searches are not yet known.

When reporters questioned about this, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "I don't know...I will check and speak."

Deputy CM denies Home Minister's involvement

Denying the involvement of Home Minister G Parameshwara in any case, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said that the leader is a very "decent" and "simple" man, an ANI report said.

Speaking to media persons, Shivakumar said, "I am sure that in no way my Home Minister is involved in any case. He is a very decent and simple man. No way G Parameshwara is involved in such a type of case."

Multi-city raids in money laundering case

The ED on Wednesday conducted search operations in various cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jalandhar, Indore and Kolkata, in connection with its probe into alleged money laundering in a firm, a PTI report said.

The searches were carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the agency said in a social media post.

During the search operations, the ED seized foreign currencies, including US Dollars, Singapore Dollars and Dirhams, amounting to around ₹6.43 lakh, gold bullion worth ₹55.74 lakh, and froze bank accounts with a total balance of around ₹94 lakh, it said.

Property documents, several digital devices, and various incriminating documents were also seized, the agency added.