Lottery scam: Karnataka CM announces CBI probe

Bengaluru, May 26: Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has announced that the Lottery Scam will be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Addressing the press at the Vidhan Soudha, the CM said that the decision to hand over the probe to the CBI was taken after understanding the wide ramifications of the case. [A lottery without paper: How the scam in Karnataka unfolded]

We need to know the entire truth in this scam. We need to know who all have been involved in this scam since 2007 and hence we have decided to hand over the probe to the CBI, the CM also informed at the presser at Vidhan Soudha.

CID interim report:

The CID which took over the probe submitted an interim report on the lottery scam. Based on this a recommendation was made relating to senior IPS officer Alok Kumar. It was alleged that he had prevented the arrest of Pari Rajan the kingpin in the scam, the CM also informed.

Further the CM also stated that he had taken quick action on the case and even suspended the senior police officer. The CM said that there is a need to look into the entire nexus behind this scam so that the entire truth comes out.

Siddaramaiah said all efforts were taken to ensure that the guilty were probed. No one can accuse the government of not taking steps to stop this scam. In fact the government has done its best he also informed.

Previous governments have not acted:

The CM also said that the government is being accused of not acting. I want to ask if the previous governments had taken any action against these lottery operators working illegally.

He took at a dig at former Prime Minister, H D Deve Gowda too who had accused the Congress of being hand in glove with the accused in the scam. He today is asking for a CBI probe into the matter. Isnt he the same person who had called the CBI, Chor Bachao Investigation and Congress Bureau of Investigation," the CM also asked.

Gowda must remember that the allegation made against Kumaraswamy in the mining case. Janardhan Reddy had accused Kumaraswamy of taking Rs 150 crore as bribe. Did Gowda advise his son to hand over the probe to the CBI then?

Our police is competent:

Siddaramaiah also questioned the demands being made to hand over every case to the CBI. There is a state police which is very capable of probing cases. If every case is handed over to the CBI, then what use is of the state police.

I want to ask what moral right does the opposition have to keep suggesting a CBI probe into every case. We have handed over so many cases to the CBI and in this regard I want to ask the opposition how many cases have they handed over to the CBI.

The Congress government in the state will never protect any guilty person. We do not call up policemen and influence investigations. Maybe the opposition leaders when they were in power called officers, influenced and also blackmailed them, the CM also said.

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