Bengaluru, Aug 25: Former Karnataka Minister and BJP leader, B. Sriramulu, on Tuesday alleged that the funds allegedly misappropriated from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited (KMVSTDCL) were routed to the residence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing the media at the BJP state headquarters Jagannatha Bhavan in Bengaluru, Sriramulu alleged that BJP leaders had raised slogans in the Assembly claiming that the misappropriated Valmiki Corporation funds had reached Rahul Gandhi’s residence and the government curtailed the Assembly session.

Sriramulu said the BJP has decided to undertake a padayatra from September 1, led by state BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra, BJP leaders Gali Janardhana Reddy, R. Ashoka, Bangaru Hanumantu and other party leaders.

The 10-day padayatra will begin in Raichur on September 1 and conclude in Ballari on September 10, he said.

“The padayatra will highlight issues including the government’s alleged negligence towards irrigation, corruption in the ST Corporation and the Valmiki Corporation issue. The Congress has been neglecting Dalits. The BJP is undertaking this major padayatra because we will not allow injustice to be done to Dalits,” Sriramulu said.

Sriramulu accused Congress leaders of shedding “crocodile tears” over issues concerning Dalits.

He alleged that the government had curtailed the Assembly session after taking note of the BJP’s protests over the issue.

“Protests were held in both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. Congress leaders have betrayed Babasaheb Ambedkar, Babu Jagjivan Ram and the Dalit community,” he alleged.

It can be noted that the Valmiki Corporation scam involves the alleged illegal diversion of funds from the KMVSTDCL.

The alleged scam came to light in May 2024 following the suicide of 52-year-old corporation superintendent Chandrasekar. P., who left a suicide note detailing unauthorised fund transfers and corruption.

While initial irregularities centered around smaller figures, investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) pegged the total misappropriation and diverted funds at around Rs 89 crore.

Funds earmarked for tribal welfare projects were illegally moved to unauthorised bank accounts—including bogus accounts opened using forged KYC documents at the Union Bank of India’s MG Road branch in Bengaluru—and later layered through shell cooperatives like Hyderabad’s First Finance Credit Cooperative Society.

The then-Karnataka Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare was identified by probe agencies as a primary mastermind behind the layering and siphoning of the funds. Nagendra previously resigned from the Cabinet, faced arrest, and later secured bail.

Currently, Nagendra has recently taken charge of Minister for Planning and Statistics in the Cabinet led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. BJP and JD (S) have announced that they will agitate until Nagendra is sacked from the Cabinet.

New Delhi, Aug 25: Prompt action by the staff of Delhi’s Hauz Qazi police station led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man on Tuesday and the recovery of 200 quarters of illicit country-made liquor being transported for illegal sale in the national capital.

The police also seized a grey-coloured scooty used for transporting the liquor. A case under the relevant provisions of the Delhi Excise Act has been registered, and further investigation is underway.

According to police, the incident took place on August 24 at around 10.30 p.m., when staff of PS Hauz Qazi were conducting routine patrolling in the area of Lal Kuan Road near Farashkhana Road.

During the patrolling, the police team noticed a person on a scooty coming from the Lal Kuan side. On spotting the police personnel, the rider suddenly turned the vehicle around and started moving in the opposite direction, raising suspicion.

The police team immediately followed and intercepted the scooty. During the subsequent checking, a heavy white plastic bag was found placed on the vehicle. The rider allegedly failed to provide any satisfactory explanation regarding the contents of the bag.

Upon checking the bag, the police recovered 200 quarters of country-made liquor, each containing 180 ml. The bottles were bearing the label, “For Sale in Haryana Only”.

The rider was identified as Akash, a resident of Burari in Delhi, aged about 20 years. The recovered liquor was taken into possession in accordance with the law, while the scooty used for its transportation was also seized.

Accordingly, FIR No. 389/26 under Sections 33 and 38 of the Delhi Excise Act was registered at PS Hauz Qazi, and further investigation was initiated.

The recovery was made by a police team comprising SI Ranvijay Singh, In-charge of Police Post Rodgran, Head Constable Paramveer, and Constable Daya Chand. The operation was carried out under the leadership of Inspector Amrender Kumar Suman, SHO of PS Hauz Qazi, and under the overall supervision of Rajiv Bhardwaj, ACP, Kamla Market.

Police said the alertness and prompt response of the patrolling team led to the interception of the accused and the recovery of a substantial quantity of illicit liquor. The seizure of the scooty allegedly used for transportation has further strengthened the investigation into the illegal transportation and supply of liquor.

During interrogation, Akash disclosed that he used to procure illicit liquor from areas near the Haryana border and subsequently supply it in and around the Sadar area of Delhi to earn money and meet his personal expenses.

The accused was further questioned about the source of the recovered liquor and the persons allegedly involved in its procurement and supply. Police said efforts are underway to identify the source and ascertain whether other persons are involved in the illegal liquor supply network.

Police records revealed that Akash, son of Pappu, was previously involved in an Excise Act case registered at PS Burari. He was named in FIR No. 254/25 under Sections 33 and 38 of the Delhi Excise Act.

Further investigation is in progress.

New Delhi, Aug 25: The body of 15-year-old Mithun, a Class 8 student who went missing after falling into an open drain in southeast Delhi Jasola village, was recovered on Tuesday, bringing a tragic end to a four-day search operation.

Mithun reportedly fell into the drain on Saturday morning while trying to retrieve a kite near his home. The teenager had gone missing at around 11 a.m., following which his family feared that he had been swept away in the drain.

His family, originally from Uttar Pradesh, lives in the area and works as daily-wage labourers here.

Soon after the incident, a massive search operation was launched involving multiple agencies. Personnel from the Delhi Fire Service, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), other rescue teams and divers searched the drain and connected areas in an attempt to trace the boy.

Despite continuous efforts, Mithun could not be located for several days. His body was eventually recovered on Tuesday and has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

The incident also sparked outrage after a video purportedly showing Mithun’s father searching for his son inside the drain went viral on social media. In the video, the distraught father was seen entering the drain with a stick in his hand and looking for the teenager as the search operation continued.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier expressed deep grief and strong displeasure over the incident. She directed the Chief Secretary to provide details regarding the jurisdiction and responsibility for the drain within an hour and called for action against officials found responsible for any lapse.

Following the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended a junior engineer of the South East (Central) Zone for alleged dereliction of duty.

The civic body said disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against the official. The action came amid questions over the safety and maintenance of the open and unguarded drain where the teenager reportedly fell.