Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra, popularly known as ‘Puppy,’ was arrested from Sikkim in connection with an alleged illegal betting racket after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a two-day nationwide search operation on August 22 and 23.
According to the ED, the investigation uncovered a massive betting network with links to international casinos and gaming operations in Dubai. Raids were carried out across multiple states, including Sikkim, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Goa. In Goa, the searches covered five casinos—Puppy’s Casino Gold, Ocean Rivers Casino, Puppy’s Casino Pride, Ocean 7 Casino, and Big Daddy Casino.
The probe further revealed that the MLA was running several betting websites, including ‘King567’ and ‘Raja567,’ while his brother, K C Thippeswamy, managed three Dubai-based entities tied to call centre services and gaming activities. Officials also seized multiple international casino membership cards from establishments such as MGM, Bellagio, Metropolitan, Marina, and Casino Jewel, in addition to luxury hotel memberships of Taj, Hyatt, and The Leela, as well as several high-value credit and debit cards.
During the raids, officials seized ₹12 crore in cash, including ₹1 crore in foreign currency.
They also recovered gold jewellery worth ₹6 crore and approximately 10 kg of silver jewellery.
Three luxury vehicles were found, all bearing the same VIP number: 0003.
Sources from the probe agency said the evidence pointed to a “complex layering” of cash and funds, along with attempts to lease a land-based casino in Gangtok. The agency also froze 17 bank accounts, two lockers, and seized property documents linked to Veerendra’s brother K C Nagaraj and nephew Pruthvi N Raj.
The 50-year-old Congress MLA was produced before a magistrate court, which granted transit remand for his production in a Bengaluru court. (Agencies)
