MUDA case: 24 hours on, ED search for documents at Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's aide's house continues

Mysuru: Officials of Enforcement Directorate who are investigating a case against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah related to alleged irregularities in Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allocations, reportedly continued to search for documents at the house of close confidant of CM, former Zilla Panchayat member Rakesh Papanna, at Hinkal in Mysuru on Tuesday too.

Five ED officials have been reportedly searching for documents at Rakesh Papappa's house from 10.30 am on Monday and they stayed overnight at his house.

Five ED officials even raided the office of MMG constructions owned by a real estate developer, Jayaram, in Vijaya bank circle in Kuvempunagar, who had reportedly got sites when D B Natesh was the MUDA Commissioner.

Meanwhile in Bengaluru, ED officials continued to search documents from the residence, office, and bank lockers of N Manjunath in JP Nagar and Dollars colony. They even searched for documents in the houses of former MUDA Commissioners G T Dinesh Kumar in Banasawadi and D B Natesh in Malleshwaram at 10th cross in Bengaluru.

Mysuru based RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna had lodged a complaint with ED against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah related to 14 alternative sites allotted by MUDA on a 50:50 basis in Vijayanagar's third and fourth stage in Mysuru, as compensation to Parvathi.

She had got those sites from MUDA, for using her 3.16 acre on survey number 464 of Kesare village in Mysuru taluk, without acquiring it. Based on Krishna's complaint, the ED is conducting an investigation under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (15 of 2003) in the case.

In the wake of various developments, due to the issue, Parvathi returned all those sites to MUDA on October 1. Sub-registrar at Additional District Registrar Office completed the process and released sites to MUDA on October 3.

Speaking to DH, Snehamayi Krishna said that, in his complaint against CM to ED, he had even asked ED officials to enquire about all 928 sites allotted by MUDA under a 50:50 basis from 2015.

When he was summoned by ED last week, in his statements he had given details about beneficiaries of sites allotted under a 50:50 ratio including Manjunath, Jayaram, Rakesh Papanna and others.

Based on those details given in his statements, ED officials have conducted these raids since Monday, he claimed. He added that he has even given details of a few beneficiaries who have got MUDA sites on the basis of settlement deeds, Snehamayi Krishna said.