The Enforcement Directorate raided premises linked to Karnataka Congress MLA Satish Krishna Sail and some others on August 13 as part of a money laundering investigation against the legislator in a case related to alleged illegal export of iron ore, official sources said.

At least 15 premises in Karnataka, Goa and Mumbai are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.

Sail is a Congress MLA representing the Karwar Assembly constituency in Uttara Kannada district.

Sail, according to the sources, has been accused of exporting illegally mined iron ore, which was seized by Forest Department at Belekeri port in Karwar, Karnataka.

While the value of illegally exported ore is in the hundreds of crores of rupees, the estimated ‘loss’ to the government exchequer is about Rs 38 crore, the sources said.

The case originated from a 2010 probe by the Karnataka Lokayukta, which discovered that about 8 lakh tonnes of iron ore were illegally transported from Ballari to Belekeri port.

A special court had found Sail and others guilty in multiple cases related to the illegal export of iron ore through the Belekeri port.

In 2024, the High Court of Karnataka had ordered suspension of the seven-year prison sentence of the MLA in this case.