Hyderabad: Cheats use old stamp papers

Hyderabad: Old stamp papers are being retained at sub-registrar offices in violation of norms.

As per the norms, unsold stamp papers have to be returned to the government. The government will exchange old ones with new after they are returned. However, sub-registrar offices hardly follow these rules.

Land-grabbers offer bribes to the officials to buy old stamp papers, and they are used to usurp lands by showing that property transactions were done in the past.

The ongoing raids on 141 sub-registrar offices across the state revealed that these offices are in possession of stamp papers that date back several years.

When inspection teams questioned the officials why they were not handed over to the government, there was no answer from the staff in sub-registrar offices.

It was also revealed that the officials and staff were supplying unsold stamp papers to private document writers, who set up shops around sub-registrar offices.

The official-document writer nexus is assisted by brokers, who mediate between land-grabbers and officials, for registration of lands illegally.

“During raids, the old stamp papers dating back to even the 1960s and 1970s were found in sub-registrar offices and at shops run by private document writers. They are sold for a huge premium due to huge demand. Even a Rs 100 stamp paper of 1960s or 1970s fetches thousands and lakhs of rupees, depending on the demand,” said an official monitoring the outcome of the raids on a daily basis.

These old stamp papers are being used to create fictitious land title documents stating that the transaction took place in the 1960s or 1970s. They create title document by paying fees.

Then they approach sub-registrars for ownership registration document. If rejected, they approach courts. Based on court orders, the sub-registrars register these lands.

“This is the modus operandi to grab government lands. Old stamp paper play an important role in such illegal dealings,” the official said.

Senior officials of revenue department had recommended government to seize all old stamp papers two years ago and destroy them to check such dealings. But the government continues to sit on these recommendations.

Officials also recommended conducting internal audit in sub-registrar offices at least once every three months, to check this menace.

The ongoing raids revealed that in some sub-registrar offices, internal audit was not conducted for the past three years, since the formation of Telangana state.

In some cases, even the reports of old internal audits went missing. During the raid on Armoor sub-registrar office, it was found that the old internal audit reports were taken away from the office by a sub-registrar who was suspended a few years ago over land registration irregularities.