Raid on 'parallel BDA office' exposes massive scam

The Redhan - The Cinema People, where some officials were running a parallel BDA office in collusion with some middlemen. The office is located at Prestige Centre Point on Cunningham Road, Bengaluru. DH PHOTO/S K DINESH

The Redhan - The Cinema People, where some officials were running a parallel BDA office in collusion with some middlemen. The office is located at Prestige Centre Point on Cunningham Road, Bengaluru. DH PHOTO/S K DINESH

The Redhan - The Cinema People, where some officials were running a parallel BDA office in collusion with some middlemen. The office is located at Prestige Centre Point on Cunningham Road, Bengaluru. DH PHOTO/S K DINESH

In a joint operation, the Bangalore Development Authority’s vigilance wing and the city police raided a private office on Cunningham Road on Friday morning and seized bonafide allotment letters of over 60 BDA sites worth nearly Rs 300 crore.

The office — fronted as a showbiz firm called Redhan - The Cinema People and located at Prestige Centre Point — was a parallel BDA office run in collusion with some of the agency’s own officials, BDA Commissioner H R Mahadeva said. The raid was carried out nearly a month after a private complaint was lodged over the matter, he added.

What the sleuths found astounded them.

Besides the allotment letters of 60 sites in various housing layouts developed by the BDA, the sleuths found the agency’s office files, the letterhead of the BDA commissioner, seals and BBMP documents. “The value of the sites alone is estimated at between Rs 200 and Rs 300 crore. We will be able to arrive at the actual value only after an investigation,” he told reporters.

According to Mahadeva, the office was run by the proprietor of Redhan in collusion with at least five BDA officials. Shockingly, some of the officials who were supposed to sign on the allotment letters were visiting the private office, he said. “Whatever was required for the allotment of a site was available at this private firm’s office,” Mahadev said, adding that they simultaneously raided the houses of the people involved.

The commissioner has pledged to effect major changes at the BDA once the officials involved in the scam are arrested. All those found involved will be suspended and will face an inquiry as well as strict disciplinary action, he added.

BDA Chairman S R Vishwanath said the agency appeared to have more enemies inside than outside. “It is sad that these elements cheated the BDA and innocent people by colluding with greedy middlemen. We’ll identify these officials and act against them,” he added.