Lottery scam to be handed over to CBI

The case was hitherto being investigated by CID and its preliminary report mentioned the involvement of Inspector-General of Police Alok Kumar.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Home Minister K.J. George handing over the probe into lottery scam to CBI at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy.

The Karnataka Government has decided to hand over the lottery scam in the State, which allegedly involves several senior IPS officers, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he was under no political pressure to hand over the case, but was doing to dispel public apprehension. The State will ask the CBI to investigate from April 1, 2007.

“The Chief Secretary will write a letter to the CBI tomorrow,” said the Chief Minister.

The case was hitherto being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and its preliminary report on the lottery scam mentioned the involvement of only Inspector-General of Police Alok Kumar, who has since been suspended. Lottery was banned in Karnataka on March 27, 2007.