Four officers appear before ED sleuths; four more to be grilled tomorrow

Mysuru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its probe into the 50:50 ratio site allotment scam in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

Four officers appeared for questioning yesterday, and four more are scheduled to appear tomorrow (Oct. 28) at the ED Office in Shanthinagar, Bengaluru, MUDA sources told Star of Mysore.

Assistant Director of ED, Murali Kannan, who is leading the investigation, issued summons for the officers to present documents, personal details and information on assets and properties.

The case centres on allegations that 14 premium compensatory sites in Vijayanagar Third and Fourth Stages were allotted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi, under the 50:50 scheme.

These high-value sites were given in exchange for 3.16 acres of land in Kesare village, acquired by MUDA without following proper land acquisition procedures.

The ED’s investigation is based on the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Chief  Minister Siddaramaiah and others.

Ties with the Commissioner’s Office

Sources indicate that the officials questioned yesterday, as well as those set for questioning tomorrow, have direct ties to the MUDA Commissioner’s Office. Those questioned yesterday included Special Land Acquisition Officer Shruthi (also the Land Acquisition Section Manager), Personal Assistant to former MUDA Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar, Stenographer Chandru and Special Tahsildar Rajashekar.

Tomorrow, Ravi, who oversees the MUDA record room, along with Executive Engineers R. Srinivas and Rajashekar, and one additional officer, have been summoned by the ED for questioning. These officers work closely with the Commissioner and are integral to the site allotment process, including preliminary file preparation, land inspections and finalising the sale deed.

During the recent raid on MUDA, ED officials collected statements from these officers and insisted on obtaining their phone numbers and Aadhaar cards, stressing the need for them to appear for further questioning if required.

Notices to former Commissioners

Sources reveal that the ED is preparing to issue notices to former MUDA Commissioners G.T. Dinesh Kumar and Dr. D.B. Natesh, under whose tenures the alleged land scam occurred.

The ED is currently uploading documents using specially designed software aimed at tracing the land dealings of MUDA officials and their relatives. As this process unfolds, officers are summoned individually for questioning to extract more information about the  land transactions.

Following their questioning, officers are informed that they may be called back for further inquiries and must report to Bengaluru whenever required, sources added.