ED raids former MUDA Commissioners in land scam linked to Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam conducted raids at the residences of former MUDA commissioners D.B. Natesh and G.T. Dinesh Kumar on Monday, sources said.

A team of five ED officials conducted search at the residence of Natesh located at the 10th Cross of Malleshwaram locality in Bengaluru. Natesh was present at the house during the raids.

The sleuths also raided the Deepika Royal apartment of Dinesh Kumar in Banaswadi locality of Bengaluru. Sources said that Dinesh Kumar had gone for morning walk when his flat was raided.

Sources informed that Dinesh Kumar did not return to his residence and his mobile phone was switched off. The ED officers tried to contact him and waited for him to turn on his cell phone.

Natesh and Dinesh Kumar are accused of creating false documents and indulging in distribution of MUDA sites worth hundreds of crores illegally to vested interests.

The ED sleuths conducted raids at the residence of builder and realtor N. Manjunath at his Dollars’ Colony residence in J.P. Nagar locality of Bengaluru on Monday morning. They also conducted raids at nine locations in Bengaluru and Mysuru cities, according to sources.

The swift developments indicated that the ED sleuths might conduct raids at any time against the first accused in the case, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Meanwhile, complainant Snehamayi Krishna in the MUDA case allegedly involving CM Siddaramaiah, submitted a petition to Karnataka Lokayukta and demanded that former MUDA commissioners Natesh and Dinesh Kumar should be arrested and sent to judicial custody.

Natesh and Dinesh Kumar should be immediately questioned and named as accused in the MUDA case. Both have caused a loss of hundreds of crore rupees for the MUDA by creating fake documents by themselves and with the help of others, Snehamayi Krishna alleged.

Among the allotted 928 plots, barring few, all were allotted by Natesh and Dinesh Kumar. They have allotted the lands acquired decades ago. They should be questioned why during their tenure the greatest number of petitions seeking compensation were submitted, he demanded.

It is important to ascertain why the land owners were quiet for decades and why they were not given compensation for a long time? It was the duty of these officers to initiate action when forged documents were submitted claiming the ownership of the acquired land, Snehamayi Krishna pointed out in his petition.

The Congress government had initially transferred and later suspended Dinesh Kumar after the alleged MUDA scam surfaced. Later, he was appointed as the Haveri University Registrar (Administration). When BJP questioned the promotion of an accused officer, the Congress government placed him under suspension.

Following Dinesh Kumar questioning the decision of the government in the court, the government had revoked the suspension.

Meanwhile, the ED probing MUDA case allegedly involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, obtained crucial documents from a Mysuru-based RTI activist, Gangaraju, on Monday.

The complainant in the MUDA case, Snehamayi Krishna, has submitted purported video evidence to the Additional Director of the ED, Bengaluru, Murali Kannan, linked to the case.

RTI activist Gangaraju, while speaking to the media on Monday claimed that he has substantial and crucial information regarding the CM’s involvement in the MUDA case and he has been asked by the ED to provide the documents and information.

Gangaraju had also filed a complaint with the ED alleging illegal allotment of sites by MUDA to CM Siddaramaiah’s wife.