The Enforcement Directorate (ED) took former Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Commissioner Natesh into custody in the alleged illegal plot allotment scam involving MUDA on Tuesday. Earlier, The ED conducted a raid on Natesh’s residence as part of its ongoing investigation.
During the raid, officials interrogated Natesh over accusations of irregularities in land allotments during his tenure. Following the questioning, Natesh was taken to the ED's Shantinagar office for further investigation.
The ED also conducted searches on Rakesh Papanna, reportedly a close aide of the Chief Minister, and a builder named Manjunath.
On Monday, the federal agency had raided the residences of former MUDA Commissioner G T Dinesh Kumar, covering 7-8 locations in Bengaluru and Mysuru as part of its ongoing investigation into the case.
The probe is linked to complaints raised by social activist Snehamayi Krishna, who claims to have submitted video evidence supporting allegations of illicit plot allotments. The ED's investigation follows a series of raids on October 18 at the MUDA office in Mysuru and other locations. Several lower-level officials of MUDA were also questioned by ED officials in Bengaluru last week.
The ED’s investigation stems from an FIR filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta, which also implicates Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in alleged illegalities. The case involves the allocation of 14 compensatory sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi B M, in prime locations of Mysuru, allegedly in exchange for land acquired by MUDA. The sites, located in Vijayanagar Layout’s third and fourth stages, reportedly have a higher property value compared to Parvathi’s original land.
Parvathi was recently questioned by the Lokayukta Police in Mysuru regarding the allotment. The case also names Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju, the person from whom Swamy had purchased land and subsequently gifted it to Parvathi.