DK Ravi didn’t raid my company, says Karnataka home minister K.J. George

Bengaluru: Denying charges made by opposition parties against him over his controlling interest in real estate companies owned by his family, thereby setting a conflict of interest between him and the CID probe into the “suicide,” home minister K.J. George said: “One RSS member tweeted that our company owed Rs 40 lakh and everyone picked up on that piece of information. I am the chairman of Embassy Golf Links. The commercial tax department has never served any notice let alone carrying out raids on us.”

“We owe no dues to the government,” he said, adding,” the allegation is false. We are very honest. The day I took charge, I told my people I would not influence any government official to get any favours. Embassy Group is not owned by me nor do I have any stakes in that company. I do not know about the affairs of the company.”

When reporters asked the minister about the government's decision not to hand over the case to CBI and the issues his company had with the commercial tax department Mr George said “there is no need for a CBI probe into the death of additional commissioner, commercial tax, D.K. Ravi as the state police is capable of cracking the case.”

Explaining why the government did not need to hand the probe over to the CBI, he said: “Just because the opposition has been making this demand, should we give in to them? Did they order a CBI probe when we were on a five-day strike seeking a CBI probe into the mining scam? No. At least in this case, we are confident that we will crack the case within 10-15 days.”

He said: “We are committed to present an interim report to the assembly. And we will fulfil the promise. Based on the report, legislators can discuss whether we need to order a CBI probe. Not now.”

“The BJP which once described CBI as Congress Bureau of Investigation, has suddenly developed an affinity for the agency,” he said. “They have so many cases pending. We gave the CBI two cases- Saujanya murder case and MUDA financial fraud case for investigation. The agency is yet to begin its probe. They will take a long time. We will finish soon. So we need not hand over the case to CBI. The BJP may have malafide intentions in misusing CBI to give a wrong report,” Mr George added.

Mr George also clarified on the transfer of the CID officer assigned the task of probing the death. “Sometime back, Lokayukta sought to upgrade the DIG post to IG in CID. So we upgraded and transferred Pranab Mohanty there.

Though he has been transferred, he will complete the preliminary investigation and then leave the post.”

Mystery woman: nothing to say

As an eight man CID team swung into action, several people including a mystery woman IAS officer, reportedly a batchmate of D K Ravi's, is expected to be questioned over Ravi’s death on Monday, said sources from the CID.

Talking to DC, the mystery woman, however said: “I have no reaction on the incident. Let the police investigate and find out the facts.”

Police investigating the case have said that D.K. Ravi, known to take the bull by the horns and raid all builders, commercial establishments and banks who evade taxes with impunity, allegedly had a fling with the IAS officer and perhaps, a Sandalwood actress also. With the cult figure status he enjoyed in Kolar, Ravi could have taken the extreme step, fearing his image would take a beating if the “fling personality” of his was exposed.

Ravi’s friends, however, say that this is just an attempt to take the attention away from the real reason behind the death.

3 heated arguments & a CD?

Sources close to the investigation said that IAS officer D. K. Ravi got enraged when he received several phone calls the day before and on the day of his death, where the caller is alleged to have told Ravi to have a look at his office desk where he had placed a CD.

A relative of Ravi’s wife, Kusuma who is a deputy chairman in the legislative council told this newspaper that D. K. Ravi had been recording all the conversations that he had on three occasions, two on Sunday evening and night, and the third one on Monday morning where he was observed shouting at the caller.

If the CID verifies his call detail records, they would probably make a breakthrough in the case, B. Puttanna said.