ED Raids 8 Locations in Karnataka Linked to Cong’s Ballari MP E. Tukaram in Valmiki Scam Probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today conducted coordinated raids at eight locations across Karnataka linked to Congress MP E. Tukaram from Ballari and three state MLAs. The action is part of a money laundering investigation into the alleged siphoning of funds from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited (KVSTDCL), with diverted money purportedly used for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll campaign.
Officials say properties of the MP and MLAs were searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Initial FIRs by Karnataka Police and the CBI reportedly uncovered the diversion of crores from KVSTDCL to fake accounts before being laundered through shell companies.
The Valmiki corporation was set up in 2006 to support Scheduled Tribe welfare. However, its alleged misuse came to light in May 2024, when an accounts superintendent’s suicide note claimed unauthorised transfers of ₹187 crore, including ₹88.62 crore to an IT firm and a cooperative bank. Subsequent raids last July targeted Congress MLA Basanagouda Daddal, then-chairman of the corporation, across multiple states.
Two officials were suspended, and former Tribal Welfare Minister B. Nagendra resigned and was arrested by the ED. The BJP had previously demanded Tukaram’s disqualification, asserting that election funds flowed from the Valmiki fund irregularities.
Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said that central agencies operate independently and vowed full cooperation. A state-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) is also reviewing the case, he added.
The ED’s current operation is a significant escalation in the ongoing probe into alleged tribal fund misuse. The agency aims to trace the financial trail and determine how much was diverted for political purposes in Bellary during the last parliamentary elections.
