Bengaluru, June 26 -- The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has claimed to have unearthed a wide-ranging alleged benami liquor licence racket operating within Karnataka's Excise Department, pointing to a structured network of officials, middlemen and associates allegedly involved in illegal licensing and bribery activities.
According to the agency, searches conducted at 14 locations across the state on Thursday led to the seizure of substantial unaccounted assets, including Rs 5.5 crore in cash, gold worth about Rs 7.8 crore, and foreign currency valued at over Rs 3.3 crore. Officials also recovered records linked to more than 100 suspected benami excise licences.
The ED alleged that the racket functioned through a coordinated system in whi...