Three staff members of the Yadgir and Shahapur municipalities have been arrested on Monday for allegedly creating forged documents to illegally transfer government land to a private individual, an officer said.
“A complaint was filed on Monday by Yadgir commissioner Umesh Chavan stating that three staff members of the Yadgir and Shahapur municipalities were involved in the illegal registration of plot number 42 in survey number 151/1 on the border of Yadgir in the name of a woman named Mallamma Ramanna,” superintendent of police Pruthvik Shankar said.
“The plot is part of a larger set of residential sites under the Ashraya housing plots, which includes a total of 96 plots. While some of these plots were officially allotted through the municipal council, others had not yet been formally registered,” he said.
The complaint further stated that after a hearing at the office of the district commissioner, it was concluded that the registration of plot number 42 was unauthorised. “The inquiry ordered legal action against those responsible for the illegal registration. After learning of this development, the three accused allegedly attempted to manipulate municipal records to eliminate evidence that could link them to the forgery.”
“A CCTV footage revealed that on Sunday, the accused entered the Yadgir municipal office at around 4:30pm on Sunday when he reviewed CCTV footage . They intimidated the watchman, entered the premises, accessed files, and engaged in unauthorised activities. A civilian was also present with them during this time,” the officer quoted the complainant as stating.
He said that the accused have been identified as Manappa Badiger, a 45-year-old revenue inspector with Yadgir municipality, Mainoddin Mohammad Hazrat, 41, serving as the in-charge revenue inspector at the same office, and Hanamantappa Ashanal, a 44-year-old supervisor in the water supply department of Shahapur municipality.
Shankar confirmed the arrests and stated that fake documents were created to facilitate the unlawful sale of the land. He added that the accused were taken into custody for detailed questioning and that preliminary investigations supported the charges of forgery and tampering.
A case has been registered at the Yadgir City police station and further investigation into the matter is underway, he said, adding that more arrests could follow depending on what the inquiry reveals.
