The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided over a dozen premises across Karnataka, including those belonging to relatives of an MLA and a former minister, in connection with a cybercrime and cryptocurrency-linked money-laundering case.
The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Among the premises raided are those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N.A. Haris; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of Congress leader and former Union minister K. Rahman Khan, an alleged crypto hacker named Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki and his associates, sources said.
The ED has accused the Haris brothers and Aqeeb Khan of being beneficiaries of the proceeds generated through the crypto-linked crime. The agency started the probe based on FIRs and chargesheets filed by Karnataka police, which alleged offences such as hacking of websites, extortion and theft of bitcoins through crypto platforms by Sriki and his aides.
The 59-year-old N.A. Haris is a four-time Congress MLA who was elected to the Assembly in 2008 and has since represented the Shantinagar segment in Bengaluru.
