MUDA case: Former MUDA Commissioner Natesh taken into custody by ED

Bengaluru, Oct 29 (IANS) In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have taken former commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) D.B. Natesh has been taken into custody on Tuesday night, sources confirmed.

Sources said that the former commissioner has been taken into custody for not cooperating with the ED investigation, where is likely to be arrested.

The ED officers raided the residence of Natesh on Monday and continued the raids on Tuesday. After the raid, search and inspections were concluded, the ED officers took Natesh to the ED office located in Shanthinagar locality in his own car.

Sources stated that the ED sleuths had seized four bags of documents from the residence of Natesh on Monday.

The ED had concluded the raid on the second consecutive day at the residence and offices of Rakesh Papanna, a close confidant of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Tuesday night.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at the residences of former MUDA Commissioners D.B. Natesh and G.T. Dinesh Kumar.

A team of five ED officials conducted the inspection at the residence of Natesh located at the 10th Cross of Malleshwaram locality in Bengaluru.

The sleuths also raided the Deepika Royal apartment of Dinesh Kumar in Banaswadi locality of Bengaluru. Sources said that Dinesh Kumar had gone for a morning walk when his flat was raided.

Sources informed that Dinesh Kumar did not return to his residence and his mobile phone was switched off. The ED officers tried to contact him and waited for him to turn on his mobile phone.

Natesh and Dinesh Kumar are accused of creating false documents and indulging in the distribution of MUDA sites worth hundreds of crores illegally to vested interests.

Further, the ED sleuths conducted raids at the residence of builder and realtor N. Manjunath at his Dollars’ Colony residence in J.P. Nagar locality of Bengaluru.

They had also conducted raids at nine locations in Bengaluru, Mandya and Mysuru cities, according to sources.

Meanwhile, the ED probing the MUDA case allegedly involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, obtained crucial documents from a Mysuru-based RTI activist, Gangaraju, on Monday.

--IANS

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