Land misappropriation worth Rs 200 cr suspected as ACB raids Bangalore Development Authority

In many cases, documents of BDA-owned land were forged to show that the plots belonged to private persons and later the land was acquired to form layouts by paying a huge amount of compensation. An ACB officer said the raid focused on irregularities in allotment of sites by land acquisition officers and deputy secretaries with the help of private persons.

Several methods were used to siphon off money and land from the BDA and from genuine allottees, the officer added. The ACB said it has also been found that the authority deliberately registered a single plot to multiple people leading to civil litigation. In another case in Kengeri, a plot worth Rs 1.5 crore has been allotted to a person as compensation for acquiring land but, in reality, no land was acquired by the BDA. In Kengeri, a similar case has been reported in which a plot worth Rs 80 lakh has been allotted. In Chandra Layout too, land worth Rs 5 crore has been illegally allotted to a private individual. In Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, documents of the original allottee were forged to give a plot worth Rs 30 lakh to another person.

The ACB, which has deputed its staff for the purpose round-the-clock, said it might even return and continue investigations on Tuesday. More than 70 officials were part of the raid which lasted two days.

BDA Chairman S R Vishwanath admitted that irregularities were rampant in the authority and that it had almost gotten out of hand. “After I took charge, I asked for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the irregularities. Some of the officials were also arrested. Now with the ACB raid, we are hoping that people who were indulging in irregularities will be punished. The Chief Minister has been informed about the probe and I will meet him on Sunday to discuss the same,” he said.