The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches against Congress Bellary MP E Tukaram and three MLAs of the party as part of a money laundering investigation into the alleged Valmiki scam-linked money laundering case, official sources said.

They said five premises in Bellary and three in Bengaluru city are being searched. These include houses belonging to Tukaram and MLAs Nara Bharath Reddy (Bellary city), J N Ganesh (Kampli) and N T Srinivas (Kudligi). 

Searches are being conducted in order to gather evidence on the allegation that funds siphoned off from the accounts of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) were used for election expenses — to distribute cash to voters and Congress workers of the Bellary seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.