<p>Speeding up the probe into the illegal land sale related to the PACL scam, police have arrested a lawyer and two real-estate agents, besides searching the houses of several absconding suspects.</p>.<p>The Pearls Agrotech Corporation Limited, or PACL, Ponzi scam defrauded investors of more than Rs 50,000 across India. The scam surfaced in 2016.</p>.<p>A committee headed by former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha recommended confiscating the lands of PACL in many places, including at M Medahalli in southern Bengaluru, and auctioning them to pay the victims.</p>.<p>However, the 12.30-acre land parcel in M Medahalli, Anekal taluk, was illegally sold with fake documents by a gang that comprised real-estate agents, a sub-registrar, a lawyer, the brother of a police inspector and others.</p>.<p>In this regard, a case under IPC section 420 (cheating) and the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at the Hebbagodi police station.</p>.<p>Police have now made three arrests in the case: Manjunath, a lawyer, and real-estate agents Chandramohan and Prithvin. On Saturday, separate teams headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Anekal subdivision) Lakshima Narayana also searched six places belonging to the absconding suspects in the hope of finding documents related to the illegal land sale.</p>.<p>Among the places searched was the house in Basavanapura of Praveen, the inspector’s brother. Similarly, searches were also carried out at the residences and offices of other suspects in Nagashettihalli and Vijinapura, police said.</p>
<p>Speeding up the probe into the illegal land sale related to the PACL scam, police have arrested a lawyer and two real-estate agents, besides searching the houses of several absconding suspects.</p>.<p>The Pearls Agrotech Corporation Limited, or PACL, Ponzi scam defrauded investors of more than Rs 50,000 across India. The scam surfaced in 2016.</p>.<p>A committee headed by former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha recommended confiscating the lands of PACL in many places, including at M Medahalli in southern Bengaluru, and auctioning them to pay the victims.</p>.<p>However, the 12.30-acre land parcel in M Medahalli, Anekal taluk, was illegally sold with fake documents by a gang that comprised real-estate agents, a sub-registrar, a lawyer, the brother of a police inspector and others.</p>.<p>In this regard, a case under IPC section 420 (cheating) and the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at the Hebbagodi police station.</p>.<p>Police have now made three arrests in the case: Manjunath, a lawyer, and real-estate agents Chandramohan and Prithvin. On Saturday, separate teams headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Anekal subdivision) Lakshima Narayana also searched six places belonging to the absconding suspects in the hope of finding documents related to the illegal land sale.</p>.<p>Among the places searched was the house in Basavanapura of Praveen, the inspector’s brother. Similarly, searches were also carried out at the residences and offices of other suspects in Nagashettihalli and Vijinapura, police said.</p>
