In a seemingly embarrassing moment for the Congress party, AICC General Secretary Karnataka-in-charge KC Venugopal was caught speaking to a known rowdy sheeter on camera at the party headquarters in Bengaluru on Wednesday.  

The visuals, which were supposedly shot last week, have been leaked in the media. 

Venugopal was in the city to discuss the list of probable candidates for the upcoming bye-polls. The rowdy-sheeter has been identified as Ishtiaq Ahmed (alias Palawan), who is the husband of Fareeda Ishtiaq, a Congress corporator from Shivajinagar.

Congress MLC Rizwan Arshad is also seen standing beside Venugopal. 

Ishtiaq Ahmed was recently arrested in connection to the infamous IMA Jewels Ponzi scam. According to police, he allegedly extorted Rs 2 crore from IMA founder and Managing Director Mohammed Mansoor Khan.

Police sources noted that the transaction had been mentioned in Mansoor Khan’s diary. Ishtiaq Ahmed was arrested after police found evidence connecting him to the case. 

However, his criminal records appears to stretch back to 1993, according to police, and he has been involved in close to 50 cases across the city. 

Prior to this, Ishtiaq Ahmed was arrested in 2018 for allegedly extorting restaurants. He was also investigated by the police during the Ambidant ponzi scheme probe. 

According to reports, Ishtiaq Ahmed had been at the Congress office with his wife last week.   

When asked about the incident on Wednesday, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, who was in Delhi to meet top brass, said there was nothing wrong.

"What can Venugopal do if he comes to meet him during discussions? Ishtiaq’s wife is a corporator. Could Venugopal throw him out by the neck if he appears in front of him? If we had given him a position in the party, it is then wrong. Nothing wrong with what happened today, " the former CM told reporters.