Bengaluru, 20 April

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday raided multiple locations linked to the sons of Congress MLA NA Haris, prompting a fierce backlash from Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge.

Calling the action politically motivated, Kharge accused central agencies, including the ED, Income Tax Department and CBI, of functioning as “tools of the BJP,” and questioned the timing and intent behind the searches.

The ED on Monday carried out raids at 12 locations across Bengaluru, targeting properties linked to Haris’ sons Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farooq Nalapad. The ED also raided Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of former Union minister in the UPA regime and former deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan.

The searches are part of a wider money laundering probe tied to a high-profile cybercrime case involving alleged hacker Srikrishna Ramesh, also known as Sriki.

Investigators believe the case traces back to a 2017 hacking operation in which national and international websites were breached, bitcoins were stolen, and the digital assets were allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency platforms.

The Haris brothers had earlier been questioned by a Karnataka Police Special Investigation Team (SIT). At the time, Mohammed Nalapad, former state youth Congress president, denied any wrongdoing.

Kharge, however, took aim at the ED’s track record, pointing to its low conviction rate and arguing that the “real reason” behind the raids remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he was unaware of the raids. When asked about the raids, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar defended Haris and said he has not done anything wrong. “It is just a political ploy. Let them hold an inquiry. There is nothing wrong in conducting an inquiry,” he said.

The controversy also revives the explosive allegations made by Congress leaders in 2021, who had claimed that Sriki hacked bitcoins worth nearly Rs 10,000 crore and demanded a probe into possible links to leaders of the then BJP government in Karnataka.