Bengaluru, Oct 18 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths conducted raids at the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) office on Friday in connection with the MUDA scam.

The officials have also conducted simultaneous raids at the residence of accused number four, the land owner J. Devaraju.

Sources explained that a team of 20 officers have raided the MUDA office and are verifying the documents. The ED officers' team is also raiding the residence of Devaraju and conducting search operations. The officers are also questioning him.

Sources further stated that the ED will also raid the residence of CM Siddaramaiah at any time and question him and his wife Parvathy, who are the first and second accused in the MUDA scam.

Prasanna Kumaar, the Secretary in MUDA said that the ED team arrived at the MUDA office in the morning. 'We have been instructed to provide all information to the ED officials. The ED officials have stated that they will remain in the office till October 19. The MUDA Commissioner has instructed us to provide all details and cooperate with the ED sleuths,' he stated.

The ED sleuths have also sought documents from the Tehsildar office in Mysuru. The raids are also likely to be conducted at the Tahsildar office. Sources also said that the raids will also take place at the Mysuru Lokayukta office, which is also investigating the MUDA case.

Welcoming the raids, complainant Snehamayi Krishna stated that, once the ED gets hold of the documents, the charges against the accused will come out in the open and no one knows who will land in prison.

'This is a scam involving thousands of crores. The scam is not only about the allotment of 14 sites to the family of CM Siddaramaiah. The land belonging to the MUDA is being shown as the land belonging to private persons and thousands of sites were given away violating all rules,' he stated.

The scam starts from the de-notification of land in the name of the land owner, the fourth accused Devaraju. Devaraju is not the original owner and fake records are created. He was made to submit an application for de-notification. Following this Mallikarjuna Swamy, the brother-in-law of CM Siddaramaiah purchases the land and gifts it to his sister Parvathy, who is the wife of CM Siddaramaiah, Snehamayi Krishna alleged.

Siddaramaiah is the accused number one in the MUDA scam. CM's wife Parvathy is named as the second accused in the case. Mallikarjuna Swamy is the third accused in the case.

/IANS