16 officials booked for fake land records case in Bengaluru
BENGALURU: Anekal Tahsildar Neelabai Lamani had an FIR registered against 16 government officials for allegedly creating fake land records in the taluk. It was registered based on directions from Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Magistrate G Jagadeesha. District administration officials said that some staffers of the Record Rooms Office (RRO) in Anekal taluk had collaborated with land sharks and helped them encroach government land by creating fake records. Sixteen government employees, including Deputy Tahsildar BK Chandrashekhar, First Division Assistants Mahesh and Mangala, shirestadars Dinakaran G, Maruti Prasad, Lokesh S, Second Divison Assistants K Raghavendra and Manjunath MV, D-Group employees Kalpana P, Manjunath, Shobha N, Praveen, Muniraju, Manjulamma and Meenakshi are reportedly involved in fabrication of government records, DC Jagadeesh said. He said original files of government lands in the area, application books, cultivation certificates, distribution books, sanction transaction books, Inam DC order files, and land reforms original files were all fabricated by the officials, in collusion with land sharks. The Anekal tahsildar had reported that while scanning records under the Bhusuraksha Yojana, fake records were found in RR registers, pahanis, handwritten pahanis and other documents, which were used to help land thieves grab government land. Police cases were registered against 16 government employees who have worked in the archives department in the past five years, the DC said. The tahsildar was instructed to investigate the role of private individuals in creating these fake records and also file a criminal case against organized groups that create fake records. The DC said all special tahsildars of the district have already been instructed to take the DCs permission at the time of drawing up accounts, and any orders related to the Revenue department regarding government land. Police is investigating and is yet to arrest anyone. Meanwhile, the government will be told about their suspension. If police begins arresting them, those involved will be suspended immediately, stressed Jagadeesha.