Retired revenue officials under SIT radar in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: After a preliminary inquiry, the Special Investigation Team has started grilling the retired revenue department officials, land survey and registration departments to establish the involvement of political leaders, in land scams in Vizag. SIT sources said that they have issued notices to over 20 officials of the three departments to appear for inquiry regarding the tampering of land records. “If there is proper evidence, we are ready to quiz even the political leaders irrespective of parties,” a senior SIT official said. 

“After scrutinising all the 350 complaints, we are now verifying the documents to get some major clues pertaining to tampering of land scams. So far, inquiry into 100 complaints has completed and we have passed recommendations on 67 cases,” SIT head, Vineet Brijlal said and added that every accused in the land scam case would be questioned irrespective of their status. 

However, SIT sources said that even as the investigation is going at a good pace, they will not be able to meet the deadline set on Aug. 20. They said that the team will seek more time and manpower to complete a comprehensive investigation. 

Former Bheemili Tahsildar B.T.V. Rama Rao, who is under judicial remand, said that his life is in danger. Mr Rao was brought to the SIT office for inquiry, as he was one of the accused persons in tampering endowment department’s lands in Vizag. 

Reportedly, the accused told his relatives that he was brought from jail to be harmed by the higher-ups, who forced him to tamper the documents. However, no complaint has been registered by his family members so far. 

SIT officials hope that Mr Rao will reveal the names of the politicians who behind the land scam in Kommadi, Madhurawada, Bhe-emili, and Ananda-puram. 

However, YSRC leaders allege that some ruling party leaders have involved in land scams.