logo
ED attaches assets of Cong MLA in KOMUL recruitment ‘scam'

ED attaches assets of Cong MLA in KOMUL recruitment ‘scam'

Hans India6 days ago
New Delhi: Assets worth Rs 1.32 crore of Congress MLA K Y Nanjegowda have been attached in a case related to alleged irregularities in the recruitment for the Kolar-Chikkaballapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd (KOMUL) in 2023, the Enforcement Directorate said on Thursday.
Nanjegowda, the MLA from Malur seat in Kolar district, is the chairman of KOMUL. The ED said the recruitment process was held by KOMUL and it consisted of a written exam and interview. It was 'manipulated' in lieu of money and/or recommendation of political persons, the federal probe agency said.
The recruitment committee, led by Nanjegowda along with KN Gopala Murthy (KOMUL MD), conspired with other directors in the organisation and hatched a plan which resulted into favouring of certain less meritorious candidates and deprivation of the deserving candidates, the ED alleged.
A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach Rs 1.32-crore assets of Nanjegowda, it said. The ED probe began in these alleged irregularities after it conducted raids in January against Nanjegowda and some others in a different case related to 'illegal' allotment of government land worth Rs 150 crore. The agency made a reference of the alleged irregularities in KOMUL hiring to the Karnataka Lokayukta Police and also filed a complaint before the special court for trial of MP/MLA cases.
The agency said it seized OMR sheets, both original and tampered, WhatsApp messages received from politicians recommending certain candidates and forwarded by Nanjegowda, and other directors to the staff of KOMUL, during the searches. It claimed 'procedural lapses' were observed in the entire recruitment process at KOMUL and also at the Mangalore University indicating efforts to hide irregularities.
The agency also claimed that admission by the directors and staff of KOMUL, Mangalore University Registrar Nagendra Prasad and certain candidates who were accommodated in the examination, has unearthed a 'mega scam' in KOMUL recruitment during 2023.
A sum of Rs 1,56,50,000 was generated as 'proceeds of crime' by manipulating the recruitment process both during the written exam and interview stages, in lieu of monetary benefit accepted from the candidates assuring them their selection in KOMUL, it said.
Nanjegowda emerged as the 'principal architect' of the 'scam', leveraging his role as Chairman of KOMUL to control the overall recruitment, the ED said.
Statements and evidence indicate that he played a 'leading' role in fixing the number of 'reserved' seats, orchestrating how bribes would be collected and directing the manipulation of written exam OMR sheets and interview scores to ensure recommended or paying candidates were selected, the agency claimed. The MLA 'illegally' enriched himself to the tune of Rs 80 lakh (out of the total proceeds of Rs 1.56 crore), the ED alleged.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Real estate fraud: Absconding promoters of Universal Buildwell arrested
Real estate fraud: Absconding promoters of Universal Buildwell arrested

Time of India

time33 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Real estate fraud: Absconding promoters of Universal Buildwell arrested

1 2 Chandigarh: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Gurugram Zonal Office, on Wednesday claimed to have arrested Raman Puri, Varun Puri and Vikram Puri – promoters and former directors of M/s Universal Buildwell Pvt Ltd – under the prevention of Money Laundering Act in a case related to alleged real estate fraud. The arrested accused, apprehended Tuesday night, were absconding for more than seven years and were declared proclaimed offenders by various courts in predicate matters. They were apprehended by the Delhi Police. The special PMLA court in Gurugram on Wednesday remanded the trio into ED custody until July 29. The ED had initiated an investigation into the case based on more than 30 FIRs registered under various sections of the IPC across Delhi NCR against M/s Universal Buildwell Pvt Ltd, Raman Puri, Vikram Puri, and Varun Puri for failing to complete real estate projects on time and cheating the homebuyers/investors of their hard-earned money. The company was taken to the CIRP (Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process), which resulted in a resolution plan for homebuyers/other financial contributors being accepted and NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) ordering some assets to be delivered to the homebuyers, who were the financial creditors, and the remaining assets to be liquidated. Most of the homebuyers had invested in the project before 2010. The case stems from the fraudulent mobilisation of homebuyers/investors' funds by the accused persons through Universal Buildwell Pvt Ltd, based on false promises of completing the project by 2010 and also promising assured returns in commercial projects. The arrested persons are also accused of cheating various financial institutions through forgery and fraud. They reportedly transferred some assets at negligible rates, oversold existing inventory, and executed forged agreements for their personal benefits. In this matter, data collected from the resolution professional revealed that the company, through their accused promoters, collected more than Rs 1,000 crore over 12 years on eight different projects in Gurugram and Faridabad, namely Universal Trade Tower, Universal Greens, Universal Business Park, Aura, Universal Square, Market Square, The Pavilion, and Universal Prime. They allegedly utilised only part of the funds for development and siphoned off the funds to acquire lands and other assets for their personal gains through criminal misappropriation, cheating, forgery, and fraud.

Handicapped CA stripped, filmed in police lockup, rights panel imposes Rs 50k fine on cops
Handicapped CA stripped, filmed in police lockup, rights panel imposes Rs 50k fine on cops

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Handicapped CA stripped, filmed in police lockup, rights panel imposes Rs 50k fine on cops

Gurgaon: A chartered accountant (CA) was stripped inside Saran police station lockup, and a video of the incident, filmed by his brother-in-law with the help of police, was shared on social media. Taking cognisance of the incident, Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) imposed a fine of Rs 50K on a sub-inspector and a constable, ordering that the amount be deducted from their salary. CA Anil Thakur, who is also a person with physical disability, was going through a dispute with his wife. On April 6, 2021, his wife filed a complaint against him under sections 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC at Saran police station, following which he was arrested from his residence in Faridabad on May 24, 2021, and taken to Saran police station. In his complaint, he alleged that while in custody, he was stripped, photographed, and filmed, and that these videos were later circulated on social media. The incident, which was a grave violation of his human rights, caused him extreme mental trauma and public humiliation, he said. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon The CA approached HHRC in June 2021, following which the commission sought a report on the incident from Faridabad police commissioner. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo The report, submitted in Aug 2021, confirmed that the CA was arrested but denied his stripping and harassment. However, in Sept 2021, the commission directed the police to form an inquiry committee and look through the CCTV footage of the given date. The committee, in its report, said that while the man was kept naked in the lock-up, it was a voluntary act and done due to the heat. The CCTV footage could not be retrieved, it added. After the commission went through the report and gave the police directions to review it, a fresh report was submitted by the police. In this it was mentioned that ASI Jagwati and constable Rakesh Kumar detained the man and instructed him to remove his clothes, leaving him with only his underwear on. The report admitted the negligence of the officials in performance of their duties. The full bench of the commission, comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, observed that the conduct of police amounted to a serious violation of the human rights of the man. "The conduct of police officials constitutes a blatant abuse of authority and breach of the minimum standard of human treatment," said the commission. "Reducing a detainee to a semi-nude condition, without cause and in a custodial setting, constitutes humiliation and psychological abuse," it said, adding that it was "shocking" that the police even permitted his relative to record his videos during his detention. Puneet Arora, protocol, information & public relations officer of the commission, said that HHRC ordered the payment of Rs 50,000 as compensation to the victim and the amount was to be recovered equally from the guilty police officials — ASI Jagwati and Constable Rakesh Kumar. "Police custody must not turn into a site of torture and shame. This order sends a clear message that the system will not tolerate custodial abuse or the misuse of power," said Arora. The commission further highlighted that the compensation issued was not intended to represent the full measure of the harm suffered by the complainant but was awarded as a symbolic acknowledgment of the violation of his human rights and human dignity.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store