By Kritika Gangwar
On Wednesday, Former commissioner G T Dinesh Kumar was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 as he got caught allotting unauthorised housing plots in Mysuru benefiting his own real estate business.
Kumar worked as the Muda commissioner from 2022-2024, when the Mysuru civic agency reportedly saw irregularities. As said by the central agency, he is accused of allocating 40 MUDA plots to the Chamundeshwari Nagara Sarvodaya Sanga. Allegedly an associate of Dinesh Kumar from real estate obtained power of attorney for the plots and put them up on the market for sale.
His properties went under deep investigation by ED which has revealed his connection in money laundering, as per the ED officials. This investigation was followed by his arrest the next morning.
In June, 2025, the ED seized 92 MUDA plots, whose worth is estimated to be around Rs 100 crore. This followed the previous attachment of 160 plots. In total, the market value for it is around Rs 400 crore.
The ED started digging the case in September last year, after registering an Enforcement Case Information Report. After an FIR against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was filed, his wife B.M. Parvathi, brother in law Mallikarjuna Swamy and Devaraju, a landowner. The case is about allegedly illegal allotment of at least 14 plots to the CM’s wife. They were reportedly given as compensation for her land that was acquired in Kesare village.
The ED said earlier this year, “The illegal gratification, thus received, was further laundered and shown as derived out of legitimate sources. It has been revealed that money was routed through a co-operative society for purchase of property, luxury vehicles etc, in the name of relatives of GT Dinesh Kumar.”
“This is also one of the circumstances to show that the sites are allotted as compensation illegally by the then Commissioners working from May 2020 to June 2024 and other officials and officers of MUDA in collusion with the land grabbers,” as stated by the Justice P N Desai commission.
Kumar was not granted a break even when the Karnataka High Court revoked the case against Natesh last year because his name was not there in the predicate office.
“The profits of the sales of the illegally allotted MUDA sites is also being routed to Shri.GT Dinesh Kumar through loans/advances to his relatives and associates. Also, some of the sites were transferred to relatives/associates of GT Dinesh Kumar and other influential persons”, as said by the ED.