BENGALURU: Acting on a report by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raided five places linked to former minister and Chamrajpet Congress MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan on Tuesday. Documents related to various properties, businesses and financial transactions were seized during the raids.
A team of more than 50 ACB staffers conducted simultaneous raids on the MLA’s palatial bungalow near the cantonment railway station, a flat in Silver Oak Apartment in UB City, a guest house in Sadashivanagar, where former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy was staying for more than a decade, GK Associates office in Banashankari, and National Travels office in Kalasipalya. The raids started early in the morning and continued till evening.
ACB officials said the ED, which had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Khan in August 2021 and had also raided his house, had sent a report about the disproportionate assets of the four-time MLA. Based on the same, the ACB registered an FIR against Khan and carried out the search and seizure operation.
When the ACB team knocked on the doors of his residence, Khan was still asleep, but the officials started the search operation. Khan, who was alerted about the raid by workers at the house, was reportedly unshaken by the raid. He came out of his room and spoke to the officials and cooperated with the investigation by replying to their questions, sources said.
“All family members, including Khan, were asked to stay in their rooms. Every nook and corner of his residence was thoroughly checked. As most of the household articles and material like marble, bathroom fittings, paintings, mirrors, furniture, and waterfalls were imported, experts were called in to get an estimate. However, no large quantity of cash or gold was found in the house,” an official said, adding that the articles found at the house are worth a few tens of crores.
At the flat near the UB City, the police found around 25 bullets, which are said to be licensed, while at the National Travels office, the police questioned the managers separately.To maintain confidentiality, senior officials of the ACB had called in officers from other districts and only a few staff from the Bengaluru unit were present during the raids. Elaborate police security was deployed around the MLA’s house. However, Congress workers staged a protest outside his house accusing the BJP of indulging in vendetta politics.