ED raids MUDA office in probe into 'land scam' involving Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru/IBNS: Two separate teams of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided the offices of Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Mysuru Taluk Office in connection with the probe into an alleged land scam, media reports said.
The two ED teams raided MUDA office on Jhansi Lakshmi Bai Road and Taluk Office at Nazarbad.
Each investigating team comprised 10 officers. The raid was carried out at around 11 am.
The ED teams were accompanied by paramilitary personnel. Public were barred from entering the offices.
The ED has registered a case against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after taking cognizance of a First Information Report filed by the Lokayukta in connection with the alleged MUDA scam.
Besides Siddaramaiah, his wife BM Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju, from whom Swamy had purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi, and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Lokayukta police on September 27.
It has been alleged that compensatory sites allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife, located in an upmarket area in Mysuru, are far higher than the land acquired from her by MUDA.
BN Parvathi had written to the authority offering to return the plots of land that are at the heart of the corruption cases against her family.
In a statement, Parvathi said she was obeying the call of her conscience. "Along with returning these plots, I also demand a comprehensive investigation into all allegations related to MUDA," she said.
In her letter to MUDA, Parvathi offered to return the 14 plots allotted to her in Vijayanagar Phase 3 and 4 "in lieu of compensation for the use of 3.16 acre land in Kesare Village.
The MUDA has agreed to take back 14 plots of land.
Siddaramaiah has denied any wrongdoing and claimed the allegations against him are politically motivated.