JOIN USPolice of Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh and the revenue department have unearthed three fake pattadar passbook rackets involving retired and working revenue staff members, bankers and a few scamsters.
The accused reportedly printed 17,000 passbooks worth Rs 1.5 crore and siphoned off crores meant for beneficiaries.
According to Anantapur Superintendent of Police S V Rajasekhara Babu, a special probe team comprising a deputy superintendent of police, two circle inspectors and five constables on Thursday arrested four more persons, including kingpin Ranganayakulu, taking the total number of arrests to 22.
Eleven more accused are absconding.
A team headed by Battapalli Inspector Murali Krishna busted these gangs from Singanamala, Battapalli and Kalyanadurgam areas in Anantpur district.
Police confiscated hundreds of passbooks, stamps, computer hard disks containing digital signatures of revenue officers and blank Mee Sevaa certificates from the accused.
The scam surfaced after a routine check-up of crop loans availed by farmers in Kambadur Mandal (block) in the district revealed that several loans were taken from banks with the help of fake pattadar passbooks, title deeds and signatures.
The gangs prepared fake Pattadar passbooks and stamps by using advanced printing technology and then used them to claim ownership of land belonging to retired military personnel besides loans and subsidies.
They also used services of a Mee Seva centre (one-stop government service centre) at Battalapalli mandal headquarters besides hiring services of a working mandal revenue officer .
They used services of a retired village revenue officer.
DH News Service