Pramesh S Jain & Yogesh K Porwar
The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets worth Rs.7.48 Crore belonging to S.M.Basavaraju,retired Chief Engineer of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB),Bangalore under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act,2002 (PMLA).
The attached movable and immovable properties include balance amounts lying in bank accounts, 3.41 kgs of gold and diamond jewellery along with immovable properties situated in various locations in Bangalore and Mysore which includes two residential sites,a commercial complex and six residential flats.
ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Lokayukta under Prevention of Corruption Act.
As per the Charge-sheet filed by Karnataka Lokayukta in the year 2018,Basavaraju had amassed wealth beyond his known sources of income and was in possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs. 4.45 Crore in excess to his known sources of income.
A Money laundering investigation conducted by ED revealed that Basavaraju,had amassed wealth and purchased various movable and immovable properties in his name or as benami properties, in the name of his family members including his mother-in-law.Further investigation is in progress.
