The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Fraudsters sell prime government land to Maharashtra developer

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Sunday, Mar 27, 2011
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Fraudsters sell prime government land to Maharashtra developer

Staff Reporter

Two acres on Millers Tank Bund sold for Rs. 45.62 crore

The land is worth over Rs. 100 crore
The four accused have been arrested

BANGALORE: In a case that seems straight out of a movie, a gang of fraudsters convinced a developer from Maharashtra that it owned two acres of prime land barely a kilometre from the Vidhana Soudha. Believing that he was getting a really good deal, the gullible man bought the government land, estimated to be worth over Rs. 100 crore, for Rs. 45.62 crore.

Commissioner of Police Shankar M. Bidari, who addressed a press conference here on Saturday, said that the property, on Millers Tank Bund, was sold using forged documents.

V. Ramaiah, R. Surendrababu, R. Ashok Kumar and R. Jaipal forged the documents and sold it to Yashalakshmi Construction Ltd. from Dharangutti in Kolhapur district by way of a sale deed registered in the Indiranagar Sub-Registrar's office.

In the course of the investigation, the police found that the record of rights was not of the persons authorised to issue them. The paper was tampered with, using erasing ink, and the name of one Eramma was inserted. Even the land conversion order was forged using a scan print process in the computer. Investigation revealed that there is no land grant order and the khata quoted by the accused was bogus.

No record of grant

There is no record regarding the grant of this land to Eramma and no amount has been credited to the Treasury on October 10, 1965 and January 1, 1953 as claimed in the documents fabricated by the fraudsters. Interestingly, both these days were Sundays and government offices were obviously closed. The four accused have been arrested by the police.

Incidentally, Surendrababu contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 from Bangalore North, but lost. Mr. Bidari said he used the money gotten from this fraudulent transaction to fund his campaign.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Special Enquiries Squad) B.N. Nyame Gowda and his team, who cracked the case, have been given a cash reward of Rs. 20,000, Mr. Bidari said.

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