Sakleshpur Police have arrested a man and interrogated an official of the Revenue Department on the charge of cheating and creating false records to show grant of land earmarked for people who parted with their property for the Hemavati River Project.
The police arrested S.K. Pradeep Kumar, who runs a computer centre in Sakleshpur, on Friday. Later, on Saturday, the police interrogated Revenue Inspector of Yeslur hobli Manjunath. The former is said to have identified himself as a journalist and developed contacts with several officers in the taluk.
The police took action following a complaint by Shantakumar, a resident of Bage village in Sakleshpur taluk. In his complaint, Shantakumar has said that Pradeep Kumar took ₹20 lakh from him in three instalments, promising a grant of eight acres of land. The accused, with the help of a government official, created documents showing grant of land, forging the signature of the officers concerned.
Inquiry
Last year, following complaints of illegal grant of river project land, the Revenue Department ordered an inquiry into the issue by the Assistant Commissioner of Hassan sub-division. The officer found hundreds of cases involving fake documents and forged signatures.
Shanthakumar, the complainant, approached the police after he realised that he had been cheated by Pradeep Kumar.
The police arrested Pradeep Kumar and during interrogation, he reportedly revealed the role of Manjunath [Revenue Inspector] in the case.
Assistant Commissioner of Sakleshpur Sub-Division Girish Nandan told The Hindu that the police interrogated the Revenue Inspector based on the statement made by the accused. “I will get information about the case from the tahsildar of Sakleshpur,” he said.
