Bengaluru, 11 June

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches against Congress' Bellary MP E Tukaram and three MLAs in Karnataka as part of a money laundering probe into the alleged Valmiki scam, official sources said.

The sources said premises linked to Tukaram and the three MLAs are being searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The money laundering case stems from FIRs registered by Karnataka Police and CBI which alleged that funds worth crores of rupees were diverted from the accounts of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) and sent to "fake accounts" before being laundered through shell entities.

The corporation was established in 2006 with a primary focus on the socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in Karnataka by running welfare schemes for them.

The ED has alleged that the cash siphoned from the Valmiki funds was used in Bellary constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.