CID busts multi-crore land grab syndicate that extorted crores by hoodwinking courts

Bengaluru: A sophisticated crime syndicate, thriving on fake land documents and court compromise decrees, has been exposed in Bengaluru.

The network, involved in land grabbing and extortion worth crores of rupees, operated for years before being busted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The CID has booked four key people under the stringent Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA), 2000. The oldest case traced back to 2005.

John Moses, 47, identified as the linchpin, was arrested along with three unnamed associates, CID officials announced on Monday.

The first case against the syndicate was registered on December 7, 2020, at the Halasuru Gate police station, following the high court’s directive.

An FIR seen by DH states that the scheme began with one B Mani granting a General Power of Attorney (GPA) to one Sendil Kumar for a plot of land near Anjaneya Temple Road, Gokul 1st Stage, Yeshwantpur. Kumar then filed a case in the Court of Small Causes against one Arun for possession of the land, using fake documents.

The plea, registered on April 26, 2018, resulted in a compromise decree on May 31, 2018, after both parties seemingly agreed.

The actual property owner later approached the high court after Mani filed an execution application against Arun. The court dismissed the compromise decree and ordered an investigation, leading to the CID’s involvement.

During their probe, the CID uncovered over 100 similar cases, filing charge sheets in 51 so far, with the rest under investigation. The agency found evidence of land grabbing and extortion of several crores from property owners, facilitated by flaunting fraudulent court orders.

Bank transaction details, including wire transfers and cheques amounting to approximately Rs 70 lakh, were obtained, with other transactions conducted in cash.

Modus operandi

Explaining the operation, a senior CID officer revealed how Moses created fake BBMP khata extracts and certificates, and concocted rental agreements in the names of fictitious people.

“These people approach the court as the plaintiff and the defendant. Then they get the compromise suit done and also get the eviction order,” the officer said, adding that this method was replicated in over 100 cases in the Court of Small Causes.

The syndicate remained active until 2018-19 and was exposed following the high court’s directive. FIRs previously filed named 18 people, including Moses.

“Let us say there is 10,000 sqft of land. Of this, they filed petitions for 600 sqft and 2,400 sqft or filed petitions for the same 600 sqft. Hence, a few of the cases were merged,” the officer said.

“In some cases, the CID investigators called the victims to register the FIRs as they were not aware of the decrees issued by the courts on the land they owned,” the officer added.

Linchpin’s profile

Moses, the mastermind, is based in Bengaluru and has only completed Pre-University (PU) education. He formed the syndicate with the sole aim of defrauding unsuspecting landowners.