MUDA ‘scam’: ED raids two former Commissioners and two realtors newsthirst.

MUDA had allotted 16 sites at Vijayanagar in Mysuru to Parvathi, wife of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in lieu of her 3.16 acres. 
| Photo Credit: file photo

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) “scam” allegedly involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, raided the premises of two former MUDA commissioners and two real estate developers in Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Mandya on Monday. 

Premises linked to D.B. Natesh and G. T. Dinesh Kumar, both former MUDA Commissioners were searched, sources said.

Mr. Kumar was suspended over alleged irregularities in MUDA in the aftermath of allegations against Mr. Siddaramaiah in September earlier this year, but it was revoked later.

The ED also raided premises linked to Rakesh Papanna, a local leader who is said to be an associate of Mr. Siddaramaiah in Mysuru, and a real estate developer and broker Manjunath. The ED recovered several incriminating documents during the raids, the sources said. 

MUDA had allotted 16 sites in Vijayanagar, Mysuru, to Parvathi, Mr. Siddaramaiah’s wife, in lieu of her 3.16 acres.

The Lokayukta police have filed an FIR against Mr. Siddaramaiah and his wife over this transaction. Based on this, the ED also filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against the Chief Minister on September 30. It conducted raids on MUDA headquarters in Mysuru on October 18. 

ED expanding scope of probe? 

Mr. Rakesh Papanna and Mr. Manjunath are not directly linked to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s wife being allotted 16 sites by MUDA, but faced allegations of corruption in allotment of alternative sites by MUDA under the 50:50 scheme in other unrelated instances, the sources said.

This indicated that the ED was expanding the scope of the probe to other alleged irregularities in allotment of alternative sites under the 50:50 scheme by MUDA, they sources said.

Activist Snehamayi Krishna, on whose complaint the Lokayukta police registered a case against the Chief Minister, said that he had submitted a list of 928 sites allotted “illegally” under the 50:50 ratio scheme by MUDA during the tenures of Mr. Natesh and Mr. Kumar. 

Mr. Krishna, claimed that the ED raids were linked to his complaint that was also accompanied by a video of an alleged aide of Mr. Manjunath handling bundles of currency notes. He accused the developer of submitting fake records to claim ownership of land acquired by MUDA for developing layouts.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Krishna also alleged that Mr. Manjunath had transferred the “illegally” acquired sites under the 50:50 scheme to beneficiaries through “settlement deeds”. He said the ED had already recorded his statement on the “settlement deeds”.