Bengaluru: ACB sleuths raid builder, three others in TDR scam

BENGALURU: Sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau probing an alleged scam involving Transferable Development Rights (TDR) raided offices and houses of four persons on Saturday. They may continue for one more day.
They raided the house of Ratan Babulal Lath, director, Valmark Realty Holdings Private Ltd, Old Airport Road and the company’s office on Residency Road.Others raided were Amit J Bolar, staff at Valmark; K Goutam of Horamavu and Munirajappa of Kalkere. The ACB said: “The raids were carried as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged TDR scam. It has come to light that many private persons have benefited.”
A senior police official said: “We suspect that the four men, Lath in particular, are close associates of BBMP assistant engineer Krishnala, prime accused in the scam who has been named in the FIR.”
Recently, ACB registered an FIR against five persons, including Krishnalal attached to BBMP’s Mahadevapura zone, accusing them of taking TDR compensation of Rs 56.37 crore on properties sold earlier.
The complaint copy read: “A six-acre land owned by Marappa in Kowdanahalli village, KR Puram, was transferred to Marappa’s sons — Revanna and Papanna. Both heirs took their share. Some plots on these lands owned by Revanna were sold to individual owners between 2002 and 2009. However, revenue documents of sold lands were retained in Revanna’s name. In mid-2009, BBMP acquired the same land for road widening. By then, Revanna had died and his heirs did not approach BBMP for TDR.”
It further read: “In October 2013, heirs of Revanna applied for legal transfer of the land. However, they intentionally hid the fact that some part of the land was sold earlier. The lands were transferred to Revanna’s heirs. Later, Revanna’s heirs gave power of attorney to a private builder and the builder succeeded in getting development right certificate in just 46 days. The government sanctioned a TDR of Rs 56.4 crore.”