CID files charge-sheets in land grabbing cases

Bangalore, Jan 15 (PTI) The CID has filed charge-sheetsagainst seven persons, including three government servants anda woman, in two different cases of land grabbing in Bangaloreand Bellary districts.

In the first case, the CID filed charge-sheet againstthree government servants in connection with the allegedgrabbing of prime land worth about Rs 20 crore here belongingto Muzarai (Religious Endowment) Department, a CID releasesaid today.

The CID has chargesheeted T G Ramachandra, SecondDivision Assistant, H C Srinivasalu, Assistant Revenue Officerand T S Sheshadri, Revenue Inspector (deceased), all of thecity corporation (BBMP-Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike).

It has also chargesheeted individuals Shamanna andVenkatesh for cheating, forgery, creation of false documentsand criminal conspiracy, the release said.

Investigation into the alleged land grabbing wasinitiated following a complaint by BBMP Deputy Commissioner.

The release said as per the complaint, the land wasdonated by late Chowbeen Subbarao to the Muzarai departmentabout 100 years ago. The property at 3rd main road,Chamarajpet here, is a site of 90 by 110 feet and includesnine shops and a house.

Investigations revealed that three officials entered intocriminal conspiracy with the two individuals and got the landregistered in their names by resorting to forgery and creationof false documents, it said.

It added that subsequent to registering the land in hisname, the SDA, T G Ramchandra, also fraudulently entered intoan agreement with Shamanna and Venkatesh to buy the property.

In the second case, chargesheet was filed against twopersons, including a woman, in a land grab case in Bellarydistrict, the release said. They were also arrested.

Chargesheet was filed against Jagannath, the mastermindbehind the crime and Ambamma, a woman who claimed herself tobe a representative of the Good Shepherd Convent and illegallysold its land to the former, it said.

The CID said illegal mining of iron ore was taking placein the land, which is situated in the forest in Ramghadvillage, Sandur taluk of Bellary district. A case had beenregistered by Forest Department over illegal mining of ironore there.

During the inquiry, which was first taken up by thepolice and then taken over by the CID, it was established thatsome persons had created false documents and sold the land toprivate individuals, the statement said.

Lady Superior of Good Shepherd Convent, Bellary, whoclaimed ownership of the land, lodged a criminal case againstone Jagannath and others in Sandur police station.

Investigations revealed that the land did not belong toGovernment but to Good Shepherd Convent and that Ambamma soldthe land with bogus documents.