Karnataka ED questions former MUDA commissioner in money laundering case

Bengaluru, Oct 29 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday questioned D B Natesh, a former Commissioner of the MUDA, in connection with a money laundering case in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority in which it has booked Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his family and others, official sources said.
    The federal agency had raided the premises of Natesh and another former MUDA Commissioner G T Dinesh Kumar on Monday as it covered 7-8 premises in Bengaluru and Mysuru while conducting fresh searches in the case.
    Sources said the ED is recording the statement of Natesh at its office here while it has asked Kumar to join the investigation. He was not found at his premises during the Monday raids, the sources said.
    An alleged close aide of the CM, Rakesh Papanna, and a builder named Manjunath was also searched by the ED.
    Social activist and complainant in this case, Snehamayi Krishna, on Monday said he has handed over 'video evidence' to ED in support of his complaint.
    The federal agency conducted the first round of raids in this case on October 18 when it searched the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) office in Mysuru and some other locations.
    It also questioned some lower-rank officials of the MUDA at its Bengaluru zonal office last week.
    Taking cognisance of a Lokayukta FIR, the ED has filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to book the Karnataka chief minister and others.
    Siddaramaiah is facing Lokayukta and ED probes into alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA.
    Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi B M, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others are named as other accused in the case by two probe agencies.
    Parvathi was recently questioned by the Lokayukta Police in Mysuru.
    It is alleged that 14 compensatory sites were allotted to Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru (Vijayanagar Layout third and fourth stages), which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by MUDA.
    The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout.
    Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
    It is alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba Hobli of Mysuru taluk.
    After the controversy broke out, Parvathi announced that she was returning the allotted plots to MUDA.
    The chief minister had denied any wrongdoing by him or his family, saying the opposition was "scared" of him and had noted that it was the first such "political case" against him.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)