ED continues raids at MUDA office for second consecutive day

The officials barred outsiders from entering the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) premises.

The Directorate of Enforcement continued raids at the MUDA office for the second consecutive day on Saturday in connection with the alleged corruption in the allotment of 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi in Mysuru.

Security personnel stand guard during a raid by the Enforcement Directorate on the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) office. (PTI)

The officials barred outsiders from entering the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) premises.

The Central probe agency officials, with a CRPF security team, have been conducting raids at the MUDA office in Mysuru, its Tehsil office, and the premises of an accused in the case, Devaraju, at Kengeri in Bengaluru since Friday morning.

Sources said the searches were launched after the agency sent multiple communications to MUDA seeking answers to more than three dozen questions about land acquisition and allotment policies but did not get a "satisfactory" reply.

On September 30, the ED filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) to book the CM and others taking cognisance of a Lokayukta FIR.

The CM is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife B M Parvathi by the MUDA in the prime location of Mysuru.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday welcomed the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) raids in the MUDA site allotment case allegedly involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's family.

The Opposition BJP and JD(S) in Karnataka asserted that it is necessary to uncover the "scam" and to bring out the truth. Leaders from the two parties slammed the ruling Congress for questioning the ED probe in the case, in which Siddaramaiah is an accused, asking whether a fair probe into the case was possible by the Lokayukta police that function under his government, PTI reported.

The ED conducted searches in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) matter in which it has booked Siddaramaiah, his family members and others.