26 April, Bengaluru
The ED has arrested Aishwarya Gowda in Bengaluru for allegedly cheating rich professionals by posing as a political insider and laundering over ₹20 crore.
Aishwarya Gowda, a 33-year-old Bengaluru woman, was arrested on Thursday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged complicity in a large-scale money laundering case of over ₹ 20 crore by promising high returns on investments done through her.
Aishwarya is accused of cheating high-profile professionals—doctors, IT company top brass, and entrepreneurs—by pretending to have close relationships with Karnataka Congress top brass, such as Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar and his brother, Member of Parliament D. K. Suresh.
Gowda supposedly became a strong politician, employing forged identity cards, name-dropping, and fixer meetings to gain the confidence of her victims. She promised them government contracts, investment, and political favors in return for a significant amount of money.
She allegedly collected over ₹20 crore from numerous individuals over a few years, and she even misused her leverage with the police by getting the confidential call data records (CDRs) of personal individuals. It is an important issue regarding privacy and jurisdictional limits.
The ED accepted the case of an FIR registered by the Bengaluru police and initiated a money laundering investigation. After monitoring her financial dealings and property, the agency arrested her and presented her before a PMLA special court. She has been remanded to ED custody for two weeks for further investigation.
Gowda allegedly posed as the fake sister of Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Suresh and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to gain access to doctors and businessmen. Last year, the Bengaluru police registered four cases of cheating against her.
She is also accused of misusing police contacts to get access to the call detail records of one of her complainants, Vanitha Aithal, a shop owner in the jewelry trade who alleged that Gowda had stolen over Rs 8 crore worth of gold and money from her, promising high returns and then cheating her.
This case has prompted serious questions about the privacy with which one can be dishonest about political affiliations to cheat others and the vulnerability of even the well-educated and well-off. As of now, the ED is investigating the property that was bought using the defrauded funds and whether any police or administrative officials were involved.
