The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Karnataka Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar over a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Shivakumar's arrest comes after four days of continuous grilling by the ED officials. The Karnataka High Court had dismissed his plea challenging the summons issued by the ED. The court also rejected interim protection for him. The former minister may appear before a special ED court on September 5 for his bail.
The senior Congress leader had appeared before the ED officials for interrogation on Tuesday for the fourth time since Friday (August 30). A few minutes after his arrest, DKS took to Twitter to congratulate the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his arrest.
"I congratulate my BJP friends for finally being successful in their mission of arresting me. The IT and ED cases against me are politically motivated and I am a victim of BJP's politics of vengeance and vendetta," wrote DK Shivakumar.
In August 2017, the Income Tax department had conducted a raid at Shivakumar's properties in Delhi and Bengaluru, and seized unaccounted cash of Rs 8.59 crore. The ED had issued a summon regarding the seizure. Shivakumar's arrest has created a major uproar in Karnataka as massive protests are being held in several parts of the state.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has halted services across Ramanagara and Kanakapura following protests by the Congress workers. The security has also been heightened at the ED office at Shantinagar in Bengaluru.
