BENGALURU – Prime accused in the Karnataka BJP MLA ticket scandal Chaitra Kundapura, an arrested Hindutva leader, has claimed the involvement of the top party leadership in the crime, sources said on Monday.
In a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Kundapura has demanded that transactions of industrialist Govinda Babu Poojari, a complainant in her case, be investigated under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act. She also expressed her willingness to cooperate with the investigation, they added.
The sources further explained that Chaitra had made these revelations in a letter to the ED before her arrest.
She had shot the letter after Poojari, who paid over Rs 5 crore, started demanding his money back when he was denied the ticket.
An associate of Poojari had paid Rs 5 crore in cash.
Govind Babu himself also spoke to her about it. He got the money transferred for the ticket to contest the MLA election. He had given Rs 1 crore to one Manjunath, Rs 1.5 crore to Abhinava Halashri, Rs 3 crore to Vishwanath Ji.
She claimed that Poojari was advised by her to file a police complaint.
Chaitra claimed that she worked in a private company in Bengaluru and had confirmed information on illegal money transactions by industrialist Govind Babu Poojari.
This person had settled in Mumbai briefly and carried out the business. He runs a catering industry in Bengaluru.
“He was an aspirant for BJP MLA ticket and since I was a journalist, I wanted to carry out a sting operation on money transactions. Hence I called up Govinda Babu Poojari and his associate Prasad Poojari to collect information,” Chaitra stated in her complaint.
“I was in touch with those close to the businessman and gathered information with an intention to expose him,” she added.
She also alleged in her complaint that fortunately he did not get a BJP ticket to contest MLA election. Generally, the political parties don’t give positions to leaders once the elections are declared. But, surprisingly, BJP made Govind Babu Poojari as the Backward Classes Morcha Secretary.
After the posting, he had carried out a campaign for the BJP candidate Gururaj Ganthiholi in Baindur seat. During the campaigning, Govind Babu Poojari started to identify with state and national leaders. “I strongly suspected the involvement of influential leaders in the scam,” her complaint read.
Sources explain that Chaitra maintains in the complaint that she didn’t have evidence to prove these charges and she recorded the call from Govind Babu Poojari that he had lost Rs 6 crore for BJP ticket and advised him to
lodge a police complaint.
Karnataka police have arrested Chaitra Kundapura and her associates on charges of cheating Rs 5 crore and threatening industrialist Govind Babu Poojari promising him MLA ticket from BJP.
The prominent religious leader Abhinava Halasri is absconding in the case.
Kundapura was discharged from the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru on Monday.
The doctors at the hospital said that she is absolutely normal. Kundapura was rushed to the hospital after collapsed during the questioning. Family sources said that she suffered from epilepsy.
However, the police sources claimed that she created high-drama to avoid the questioning. The medical tests have confirmed that Kundapura did not suffer from any complications.
Police have seized fixed deposits worth Rs 1.1 crores and Rs 40 lakh from her SUV car in connection with the ticket scam.
Special Wing CCB Police arrested Kundapura and her gang on charges of cheating an industrialist Govinda Babu Poojari for Rs 5 crores in lieu of promising him a BJP MLA ticket.
Sources said that she will be questioned on the alleged recovery of cash of Rs 40 lakh and fixed deposits of 1.1 crore, SUV vehicle and gold ornaments worth over Rs 23 lakh. The cash and gold were seized in Udupi, Kundapura and the SUV was tracked down in Bagalkot of north Karnataka region.
Meanwhile, Kundapura has claimed involvement of influential BJP leaders in the scam. She had also written a letter to the Enforcement of Directorate (ED) regarding the scam.
The known pontiff Abhinava Halasri, who had allegedly received Rs 1.5 crore from the industrialist promising BJP ticket is absconding. -IANS
