CBI raids residences, office of K’taka Cong leader’s associates

The CBI on Thursday raided residences and an office of some people linked to senior Congress leader and MP DK Suresh at five places in Bengaluru, Kanakapura and Ramanagara for alleged illegal exchange of demonetised currency notes in 2016.

The raids took a political hue with Shivakumar, an MLA, and his MP brother Suresh calling it a “vindictive act” by the Bjp-led government at the Centre to frame them. The CBI said the raids were carried out on charges that Corporation Bank chief manager B Prakash at Ramanagara, in connivance with ‘unknown others’, had illegally exchanged ₹10 lakh of scrapped currency notes with new ones on November 14, 2016. Prakash and others are also accused of trying to cover up this act by fabricating requisition slips.

The residence of a man named Padmanabhaiah allegedly linked to Suresh in Bangalore Rural, Shivananda, deputy tehsildar, Nanjappa in charge of electoral card in SDM office in Kanakapura, and election cell office in Tehsildar office were part of the search.

It is alleged that 120 duplicate voter IDS were issued from tehsildar office, without any request from voters, between November 10 and November 11, 2016 which were used to exchange the notes. The demonetisation was announced on November 8, 2016 and banks remained closed on November 9.

The Congress accused the BJP of practicing vendetta politics. “It’s a BJP conspiracy against our leader who played an important role in the government formation in Karnataka. They are trying all means to change the political equation there but will never succeed,” Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said.