ED Attaches Properties Worth ₹100 Crore in MUDA Case Naming Karnataka CM

The scam involves illegal allotment of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites by flouting statutes and government orders, using fraudulent documentation and bribery. Ineligible beneficiaries were allocated sites through fake or incomplete documents, violating government guidelines. The scheme included routing bribes via cooperative societies and involved influential persons and former MUDA officials, including ex-commissioners, who facilitated illegal allotments and received bribes in various forms such as cash and properties.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is named as the prime accused in the Lokayuktha Police FIR that triggered the Enforcement Directorate's investigation. The case involves the allotment of MUDA sites, including 14 sites allotted as compensation to Siddaramaiah's wife on a 50:50 ratio basis for land developed by MUDA. The investigation is probing the alleged involvement of Siddaramaiah and others in the illegal allotment and bribery scheme.

The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached 92 immovable properties valued at around ₹100 crore recently, adding to an earlier attachment of 160 sites, bringing the total attached properties to about ₹400 crore. The ED has also sought details of 631 MUDA sites, including ownership and allotment details, indicating a wide-ranging probe into numerous sites across several localities in Mysuru.

The ED has collected evidence of bribes in the form of cash, bank transfers, movable and immovable properties during its investigation. They uncovered fraudulent documentation used for illegal site allotments and identified the involvement of front entities such as housing cooperative societies acting as dummies for influential persons. The role of former MUDA commissioners has also been highlighted as instrumental in facilitating illegal allotments to ineligible individuals or entities.