File photo of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah
Credit: DH Photo
Mysuru: Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the houses of a close confidant of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Mysuru and two former commissioners of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in Bengaluru.
The ED officials searched the house of Rakesh Papanna, a close confidant of Siddaramaiah, in Hinkal Mysuru, on Monday, sources said. It is said that the officials have taken several documents and also Rakesh into custody for further inquiry.
Besides, the ED officials have searched the houses of former commissioners of MUDA G T Dinesh Kumar and D B Natesh in Bengaluru. However, sources said, the officials could not meet and question Dinesh Kumar.
The ED officials are probing a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003), in which Siddaramaiah is an accused.
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.
(With PTI inputs)