Tirupati: CID Probes Suspicious Fire at Madanapalle Sub-Collectors Office

The blaze on July 21 last consumed over 2,440 official files, while around 700 documents were saved by timely intervention. It is suspected that this was a deliberate attempt to destroy crucial land-related documents. Three specialised CID teams have been deployed to probe the circumstances leading to the fire and its implications on land transactions in the region. “It could be a deliberate act aimed at erasing evidence of fraudulent land dealings, especially involving freehold land registrations. We believe several individuals were involved in the act,” a senior CID official stated. The probe team has detained several individuals, including former revenue divisional officers (RDOs) of Madanapalle, Hariprasad and Murali, along with a senior assistant, Gowtham Teja. Several documents were seized from them. The CID teams are examining how certain properties were allegedly converted to freehold status through the use of fake documents. “Preliminary evidence suggests that several prohibited lands were fraudulently sold after altering their status using deceptive practices,” an official said. “Likely, this fraudulent activity spanned several years, involving multiple parties. The sudden fire could be an attempt to wipe out proof of illegal transactions”, he said.Source indicated that forged signatures and deceptive documentation were employed to alter the lands’ status, enabling their sale. The CID teams would investigate these transactions, particularly freehold land registrations across the Annamayya district. Efforts are on to reconstruct the lost records using duplicates from the RDO and collector’s offices. The investigation is likely to be prolonged in view of the complexities involved.