Land allotment 'scam': ED arrests ex-Muda commissioner Dinesh Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) commissioner GT Dinesh Kumar under Prevention Of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) officials said on Wednesday. The arrest followed hours of questioning over alleged illegal site allotments.According to reports, Kumar was interrogated on Tuesday in Bengaluru, produced before a special court, and remanded to one-day ED custody. He was formally arrested the next morning.As per investigations, during his tenure as MUDA commissioner, Kumar allegedly indulged in large-scale illegal allotment of MUDA sites in lieu of gratification and pecuniary benefits. The probe so far has revealed his active involvement in money laundering activities.Kumar, a senior KAS officer, was suspended in September last year after the Karnataka government faced criticism over its handling of the alleged MUDA site allotment scam. He had served as MUDA commissioner for over two years before being transferred on July 2.He was at the helm of the urban body when reports surfaced that chief minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi Siddaramaiah, had been allotted 14 sites under the controversial 50:50 scheme. Following these revelations, a technical committee was formed, and its report became the basis for his suspension.