The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) matter in which it has booked Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his family members and others, official sources said.
The MUDA office in Mysuru and some other locations are being raided by the federal probe agency officials along with an escort of a central paramilitary force, the sources said.
No premises of the CM or his family are being covered, they said.
"The direction we have is not to share any information that may hamper the probe agency's work. We will provide them with the information that they (ED) ask. We are working according to the directions of the Commissioner (MUDA). ED probe team has come, we will provide whatever information they ask," MUDA Secretary Prasanna Kumar told reporters in Mysuru.
Stating that he has no information how many officers are there in the ED team, he said: "they have come at the office time. They have said that they will work here today and tomorrow. Whoever from staff they may want, we will call them and provide them the information. They have not sought any information yet, they are just asking about MUDA and about its functioning, Commissioner and officials are briefing...."
The federal agency had a few weeks back filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) to book the CM and others taking cognisance of a recent Lokayukta FIR, the sources said.
The CM is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA.
Siddaramaiah, his wife B M Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others have been named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru-located Lokayukta police establishment on September 27.
According to sources, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have been deployed at MUDA office in Mysuru.
ED officials are also conducting searches at Devaraju's residence at Kengeri here, sources said.
The CM had denied any wrongdoing by him or his family, saying the opposition was "scared" of him and had noted that it is the first such "political case" against him.
