CID charges former BJP MLC, government official in Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal scam

Bengaluru: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a charge sheet in connection with the misappropriation of Rs 47.1 crore in 2021-22 at the D Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal Limited (DDUTLL), a state government entity. 

The charge sheet noted that former BJP MLC, DS Veeraiah, who was chairman of the agency during the said period, pocketed Rs 3 crore and bought four sites in western Bengaluru’s Ullal. 

Veeraiah has been charged under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 464 (making a false document or electronic record), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (the fraudulent or dishonest use of a forged document or electronic record as genuine). 

Besides Veeraiah, the CID charged S Shankarappa, a deputy director in the Department of Information and Public Relations. He was a deputy director in DDUTTL when the alleged misappropriation took place. 

According to the charge sheet, Veeraiah and Shankarappa colluded with the intention of pocketing government funds and misused their powers to siphon off money by manipulating the draft of the 194th directors' board meeting. 

Veeraiah and Shankarappa learnt that the draft of minutes of meetings from the 194th directors' board meeting was not collated and forced the then secretary of DDUTTL to manipulate the draft. 

The accused changed a few rules that needed to be followed while floating piece work contracts and offered work orders to three firms illegally. Through them, Veeraiah and Shankarappa siphoned off the DDUTTL funds, according to the charge sheet.