Political links unearthed in fake land deeds of Prakasam district

Tirupati: The ongoing Special Investigation Team – SIT’s probe into fake land deeds in Prakasam district has uncovered that 10 out of the 38 individuals arrested in connection with the case have ties to various political groups.

Addressing a press conference in Ongole on Friday, Prakasam district collector A.S. Dinesh Kumar and superintendent of police Malika Garg disclosed that five of the arrested individuals are affiliated with one political party, while another five have connections with a different political group. One of the detainees had even contested elections in the past.

“SIT's investigation into the fake land deeds racket has led to the arrest of 38 individuals involved in the scheme. The team has seized fake land documents associated with 52 properties, which have been encroached in the district. SIT has identified total 72 individuals linked to the fraudulent activities. Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects,” the top district officials said.

Officials said 54 cases have been registered following complaints from aggrieved parties. 572 registered documents have been seized, along with approximately 1,200 fake judicial and non-judicial papers and 60 counterfeit official seals.

According to officials, fake deeds are linked to 108 properties in Prakasam, eight in Guntur, eight in Bapatla, two in Nellore, and one in Krishna district. Additionally, complaints have been received from 86 aggrieved individuals in Ongole, 19 in S.N. Padu, and one each from Tangutur, Chimakurthy and N.G. Padu. Similar fraudulent activities have been identified in Kanigiri and Markapur divisions, leading to formation of sub-SITs to investigate cases registered there.

The collector informed that all registrations based on fake documents will be cancelled. He said officials found complicit in these transactions will face criminal action, in addition to strict departmental action.

The SP said history sheets are being opened against the accused. PD Act will also be invoked, she stated.

Officials explained the modus operandi of the fraudulent realtors, describing how they targeted vacant lands that remained unutilised for over two decades.

"They prepared fake documents for lands involved in civil disputes, creating multiple encumbrances to make illicit gains. In some cases, they mortgaged prime properties with banks using forged documents and disappeared before banks realised the fraudulent activities," officials added.