ED Raids MUDA Office Amid Land Allotment Row Involving Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday, October 18, conducted searches in Mysuru and other places in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam involving Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. 

The raids are being conducted by 12 officials of the federal agency and an escort of a central paramilitary force at the MUDA office and other places. 

However, the sources said no premises of the CM or his family were covered.

This comes as the federal a few weeks back filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) to book CM Siddaramiah and others taking cognisance of a recent Lokayukta FIR. 

The Chief Minister is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA.

Furthermore, Siddaramaiah, his wife B M Parvathi, brother-in-lawd Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru-located Lokayukta police establishment in September.

However, the CM had denied any wrongdoing by him or his family, saying the opposition was "scared" of him and had noted that it is the first such "political case" against him. 

‘ED Is Simply Gathering Information’: DK Shivakumar Responds on MUDA Raids

"ED officials might be gathering information. Why are you calling it a raid? They might have asked for the documents and might be taking them from MUDA. What is wrong with that? They will take the documents and examine them. Can they make any new corrections to the documents? Every piece of information is already in the public domain. Let them do their duty. Whatever we have to do legally, we will do, and we will reveal the facts. The matter is in court. From what I know, they have only asked for a few documents", said DK Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister, on MUDA raids.

(Inputs from PTI)