Karnataka ready for ED probe into lottery scam

The Karnataka government would allow Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate the lottery scam if it had an inter-state fallout, Home Minister K.J. George said Monday.

"We are ready to hand over the lottery scam to the ED for further investigation if it (scam) had spread to other states though it (ED) can probe on its own inter-state scams," George told reporters here.

Part of the union finance ministry's revenue department, the ED is a law enforcement and economic intelligence agency responsible for fighting economic crimes.

"The ED can investigate any inter-state scam as it does not need our permission to take up economic offence cases," George said.

The state CID probed the multi-crore single-digit lottery scam after a Kannada news channel telecast a sting operation in mid-April on its kingpin Peri Rajan boasting high connections with top police officials.

The state government on Saturday suspended Bengaluru additional commissioner of police Alok Kumar, a 1994 IPS officer, after the CID's interim report named him as having links with Rajan.

"Except that of Kumar, the CID report has not mentioned names of other police officers, serving or retired," George said, denying reports in a section of the media that six more top-ranking police officers had nexus with Rajan.

A team of CID sleuths interrogated Kumar on Sunday and Monday to ascertain his association with Rajan and his alleged role in interfering with the probe.

Superintendent of Police, Lottery Squad, Dharanesh was suspended earlier this month, as he was heard talking to Rajan in the sting operation's video clip.

Meanwhile, Governor Vajubhai Vala has sought a report on the scam and the alleged involvement of senior police officers in it.

Meanwhile, Rajan was shifted to the central jail here from the sub-jail at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) under tight security earlier in the day.