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2 ED officers booked for ‘coercing’ officials to give statement against Nagendra, govt
The complainant alleged that he was coerced to give statements against the state government and jailed former minister B Nagendra in connection with ₹187 crore irregularities in the Valmiki case
The Bengaluru Police on Monday registered a case against two Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers for allegedly coercing a Karnataka government official to give statements against the state government and jailed former minister B Nagendra in connection with ₹187 crore irregularities in the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation (MVDCL).
Based on a complaint by additional director of the state’s social welfare department Kallesh B, a first information report (FIR) was registered at the Wilson Garden police station against two ED officers, a senior police officer said.
In his complaint to the police, Kallesh has accused an ED officer named Murali Kannan and another by the surname Mittal. He also said that ED sleuths had summoned him to the agency’s Shanthi Nagar office on July 16 for questioning in the alleged illegal fund transfer case involving MVDCL.
“When I appeared for questioning, the officers asked me 17 questions. I answered all except three, which required access to files and consultation with subordinate officers. The ED officers took my signature on the statement but refused to provide me with a copy,” Kallesh alleged in his complaint to the police. “During the inquiry, ED officers Mittal and Murali Kannan threatened me with implication in the case and imprisonment for two years.”
The FIR, a copy of which HT has seen, said that ED officers pressured Kallesh to declare that the money was transferred illegally from MVDCL to other accounts on the instructions from state government authorities and jailed former minister Nagendra, who is also the former president of MVDCL. When Kallesh refused to comply, the FIR stated, the ED officers allegedly threatened to arrest him and file non-bailable cases against him.
“We received a complaint from B Kallesh on Monday and registered a case under sections 3(5) (common intention), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Central, Bengaluru city, Shekhar H Tekkannanavar said. “The incident occurred on July 16... The investigation is ongoing, and we will take appropriate action against the ED officers.”
There was no immediate response from ED over the police action against its officers.
Besides the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Congress-led Karnataka government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also probing the alleged embezzlement of ₹187.33 crore meant for the MVDCL, including the illegal transfer of ₹88 to Hyderabad-based companies.
To probe the money trail in the case, CBI has roped in ED, which raided places linked to former minister B Nagendra and corporation chairperson and legislator Basanagouda Daddal. Nagendra, who was arrested by ED on July 12, is currently in judicial custody. Following allegations against him in connection with the irregularities, Nagendra had resigned as the state’s Scheduled Tribes welfare minister on June 6.
