Mysuru (Karnataka): The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, has seized 160 sites that were allotted to various individuals in violation of rules under the 50:50 ratio formula, sources said on Wednesday.
The ED stated that all the sites have been seized under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, as there are indications of benami transactions involving large sums of money, according to sources.
The sources said the value of these sites, based on the guidance value, is Rs 81 crore, while their market value exceeds Rs 300 crore. The ED has seized 31 sites registered in the name of one Ravi, 41 sites in the name of Abdul Wahid, 40 sites under the name of the Cathedral Society, and 48 sites belonging to various other individuals.
The investigation has revealed that MUDA registered 31 sites in a single day under Ravi’s name on September 11, 2023. Among these, 12 sites are located in Kuvempunagar, while 19 are in Dattagalli and Vijayanagara — upscale localities developed decades ago in Mysuru. Sources further stated that 25 sites were registered under Abdul Wahid’s name on March 8, 2023, and three more were on October 1, 2023.
The ED has sent the seizure order to the Sub-Registrar’s office to initiate the process of confiscating the sites.
Petitioner Snehamayi Krishna had alleged in his complaint that around 3,000 to 4,000 sites, which were meant to be allotted to poor and middle-class individuals waiting for decades, were instead given to the supporters of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other influential persons in violation of all regulations and through document fabrication.
Earlier, the ED had suffered a setback with the Dharwad Bench of Karnataka High Court, headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, on Monday staying the summons issued by the ED to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi, and Minister for Urban Development, Byrathi Suresh, in connection with the MUDA land scam matter.
The Bench had also questioned the urgency of the ED’s actions, asking, “What is the tearing hurry?” while passing the order.
CM Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, who has been named as the second accused in the case, was asked to appear before the ED on Tuesday (January 28). Minister Byrathi Suresh, a close confidant of the CM, was scheduled to appear before ED officers on Monday. The High Court granted a stay on the ED’s summons until February 10.
However, in a setback to CM Siddaramaiah, the ED provisionally attached 14 immovable properties having an approximate market value of Rs 300 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the MUDA scam on January 17.
CM Siddaramaiah is accused number one in the case and the investigation is also conducted against others who got the illegal allotments done through the MUDA. His wife B.M. Parvathi is the second accused.
“The role of ex-MUDA commissioner D.B. Natesh has emerged as instrumental in illegal allotment of compensation sites to CM Siddaramaiah’s wife B.M. Parvathi,” said ED in a statement.
Searches conducted during the investigation further revealed that a large number of sites, other than 14 sites allotted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife B.M. Parvathi, have been illegally allotted by MUDA as compensation to real estate businessmen, who in turn have sold these sites at a huge profit and generated huge amount of unaccounted cash, the ED stated.
(IANS)
