NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday attached over 140 immovable properties valued at approximately Rs 300 crore in connection with a Muda-linked money laundering case involving Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and others.
“It is alleged that Siddaramaiah (a Congress leader) used his political influence to get compensation for 14 sites in the name of his wife Smt.
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BM Parvathi in lieu of 3 acres 16 guntas of land acquired by Muda,” the agency said.
“The land was originally acquired by MUDA for Rs 3,24,700. The compensation in the form of 14 sites at posh locality is worth Rs 56 crore,” it added.
The federal agency said that the attached properties are registered under the names of several individuals involved in real estate as businessmen and agents.
It revealed that former Muda commissioner DB Natesh played an “instrumental” role in the illegal allotment of compensation sites to Parvathi. Investigations uncovered that, beyond the 14 sites allotted to Parvathi, numerous other sites were unlawfully distributed by Muda to real estate businessmen. These businessmen later sold the sites for substantial profits, generating large amounts of “unaccounted” cash.
The agency alleged that the profits from the illegal sale of allotted sites were “laundered” and disguised as income from legitimate sources. It also claimed that many of these sites were allotted under the names of “benami and dummy” individuals linked to influential figures and real estate businessmen.
It said that raids uncovered incriminating “evidence” of illegal payments to the former Muda chairman and commissioner, including immovable properties, Muda sites, and cash. It also claimed that funds were funneled through a co-operative society to purchase properties and luxury vehicles in the names of relatives of GT Dinesh Kumar, the former Muda commissioner.
