As most citizens can testify, no bureaucratic process is complete without notarised stamp papers.
This need has been exploited by many to make a quick buck. One such racket was busted by the Fraud and Misappropriation wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) recently with the arrest of four men. They allegedly forged stamp papers of various denominations for clients who wanted rental agreements, marriage certificates, change of address and lost property.
The racket came to light when the gang faked registration of property documents and even General Power of Attorney to encroach on land of a person who passed away recently. When the family of the deceased found that the GPA had not been registered, they tipped off the police.
Announcing the details on Tuesday, police said the gang had been forging stamp papers for five years. Krishna B.D. (42) and his associates Srinivasa (46), Narasimhamurthy (36) and Nadeem (23) were nabbed at Vinayaka Enterprises in Koramangala BDA complex.
The racket
A detailed investigation revealed that the four had colluded with Raghavendra, a tout operating in Kandaya Bhavan on K.G. Road. They got colour photocopies and even a stamp paper with franking. Later, with the help of two notaries, identified as B.M. Chandrashekhar and A.S. Narayana Reddy, they filled the details and even forged the signature and seal of the sub-registrar. The stamp paper would be sold for between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000.
The gang used fake seal and signature of the sub-registrars of Basavanagudi, Rajajinagar, Peenya, Yelahanka, Jayanagar, Nagarabhavi and Banashankari. Over 600 fake stamp papers with seals and signatures of various sub-registrar officers were seized.
Krishna was arrested in 2005 in connection with a similar offense, but resumed his illegal activities after being released on bail five years ago, police said.
The police suspect the involvement of more persons in the racket, a senior officer said.
Previous cases
In 2005, the CCB raided few sub-registrar offices and taluk offices and booked 38 cases. Of these, 21 were filed against those operating in the City Civil Court premises. The rest were operating at Mayo Hall, Yelahanka, Peenya, Yeshwanthpur, Koramangala and Jayanagar. 47 agents were arrested allegedly circulating fake stamp papers. Franking ink and pads, seals and franked blank sheets were seized. These fake papers are either franked from their own franking machineries or are colour photocopies of original stamp papers. One of those arrested was Krishna.
