Pramesh S Jain & Yogesh K Porwar
A
special court for public representatives sent former Congress Minister and MLA B Nagendra to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody for six days in connection with a multi-crore scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation Limited (KMVSTDCL).
Nagendra was arrested by the ED on Friday.
The arrest is in connection with its probe into the alleged scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation where funds up to ₹88 crore were allegedly embezzled.
Following raids at multiple premises linked to him from July 10-12, Mr.Nagendra was taken to the ED office in Shantinagar in Bengaluru on July 12 morning.He is expected to be arrested later in the day.
Hours after marathon questioning,the ED summoned Nagendra and taken him into custody escorting him to ED office.
“I have no knowledge of any irregularities at the corporation.I am innocent and am being framed in a political conspiracy,”the Congress MLA told mediapersons while being taken into the ED office.
The alleged scam came to light when N. Chandrashekharan,an employee of the corporation, ended his life over the embezzlement of funds.He blamed the “minister”for the same in a note,on May 26.
Mr.Nagendra,who oversaw the corporation as minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare in the government of Karnataka, resigned on June 6.
Three agencies—the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the State Government,the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)and the ED—are probing the allegations first time.
The SIT has arrested 11 persons and seized ₹14.5 crore of the allegedly embezzled money. On July 9, the SIT had questioned Mr.Nagendra and the Corporation’s Chairman Basanagouda Daddal,Congress MLA from Raichur Rural constituency, a day before the ED raid.
