Hyderabad: How prime govt land was grabbed using forged signature of ex-collector in Neknampur
Hyderabad: A massive land grab attempt, involving the forgery of a former Rangareddy Collector’s signature, has been unearthed in Neknampur, Gandipet mandal.
Officials are investigating a case which pertains to an attempt to illegally acquire 30 acres of prime government land, valued at approximately Rs 1,500 crore. The accused have forged the signature of Bharati Holikeri, who served as Rangareddy Collector between October and December 2023.
According to police and revenue officials, two prominent real estate firms were involved in this fraud. The accused have meticulously planned and executed the operation to convert the government land into gated communities and luxury villas.
As part of this elaborate scheme, Mohammad Abdul Wahab, a resident of Tolichowki, filed a writ petition in the Telangana High Court, requesting the court to classify the land under Survey Numbers 20, 28/1, and 44 as agricultural property.
Investigators believe the entire operation, from filing a High Court petition to the forgery, was planned and executed by representatives of these real estate firms. They made the forged documents appear genuine and thus managed to deceive the government officials.
Based on a complaint from Gandipet mandal Tahsildar N Srinivas Reddy, the Narsingi police have filed a case against Abdul Wahab under multiple sections, including Sections 217, 318(4), 338, 336(3), and 340(2) of BNS Act. The authorities are also investigating whether the same group was responsible for similar illegal land grabbings in Gandiguda and Pokalwada villages.
In the Neknampur case, Wahab allegedly procured fake documents claiming he had purchased the land from 20 individuals in 1975. Subsequently, he managed to get registrations done using these fabricated papers and obtain e-pattadar passbooks from an e-Seva center.
The investigators were shocked to find the land recorded in Wahab’s name despite it being classified as government property in the Dharani portal. The officials believe that the accused forged the signature of the then Collector Bharati Hollikeri by collecting copies of her official documents. They are now investigating whether any government officials were involved in this scam.
In a similar incident, two individuals illegally occupied five acres of government land worth Rs 500 crore in Pokalwada, located near the IT corridor between Manikonda and Nanakramguda. They even constructed boundary walls and tried to sell the land using e-passbooks, however, their plan was exposed by the then Collector, K. Shashanka.
