Mohammed Haris Nalapad, son of senior Congress MLA and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) Chairman N.A. Harris, on Tuesday, described the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at his family residence as a “politically motivated” action aimed at preventing his father from becoming a minister and damaging the family’s reputation.

Addressing the media a day after the 21-hour search on April 20, Nalapad expressed deep personal anguish, saying, “I have never been able to become a good son to my father.”

He said he had worked hard as state Youth Congress president to build a positive image for the family, but felt the timing of the raid had undermined that effort.

Nalapad questioned the five- to six-year delay in taking action, noting that an ECIR was filed in 2021 but the search was conducted only in 2026.

“If someone has committed a crime, do they wait six years with the evidence before raiding the house?” he asked.

He alleged the raid was deliberately timed to target his father’s ministerial prospects.

The ED conducted searches at 12 locations across Karnataka under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a cryptocurrency-related money laundering case.

The agency has named Mohammed Haris Nalapad and his brother, Omar Farooq Nalapad, as “close associates” of alleged hacker Srikrishna Ramesh (also known as Sriki) and “main beneficiaries” of the proceeds of crime.

After the exhaustive search, Nalapad claimed the ED seized only two mobile phones from the family home and found “not a single rupee” or any other incriminating material.

“I am ready to fight this in the court of law,” he declared.

“Neither my brother nor I have done anything wrong.”

He acknowledged knowing Sriki, stating that “everyone in Bengaluru knows the Nalapads,” and that they are friends, but firmly denied any involvement in illegal activities.

“What they do inside their own house at night, how can we know? Can that mistake be pinned on us?” he asked.

Nalapad also highlighted the family’s modest background, saying the house was built by his grandfather through honest work as a contractor and had nothing to do with politics.

“We are in politics to protect democracy, uphold the Constitution given by Babasaheb Ambedkar, and take forward the ideology of the Congress party, not to make money,” he said.

He thanked the people of Karnataka for their strong support, noting that thousands of messages had poured in after the raid, and concluded with the slogan “Satyameva Jayate” (Truth alone triumphs).

The ED has maintained that the searches are part of an ongoing investigation into cybercrime and cryptocurrency-linked money laundering, with cases dating back to 2017.

No arrests have been made so far, and the probe continues.