The North East division police arrested a gang of eight including two rowdy-sheeters and a woman who were allegedly forging property papers of sites on fabricated old stamp papers and selling it to unsuspecting buyers. The gang targeted properties in and around Bengaluru that were owned by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), said the police.
The police recovered 2,130 fake stamp papers, 17 fake sub-registrar office seals, a typewriter and other materials from the gang. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused sold many sites worth ₹8 crore in and around the city, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP-North east) Anoop Shetty.
“The accused identified sites and land belonging to NRIs and created fake sale deeds and seals. They forged signatures of the sub-registrar to sell to dupe customers. After selling the sites they would divide the money among themselves,” a police officer explained.
Among the accused, two men Pradeep (28) and Rama (43) are rowdies who were running the racket. Their activities came to light when the accused created fake records for a 2,400 sq foot plot at Chikkabommasandra in Yelahanka New Town belonging to an NRI. “However, they hadn’t realised that the owner’s father lived in the same area. Word reached him that people were trying to sell the land with documents claiming that it belonged to them,” the police officer added. When the father confronted them, the accused threatened him. Worried, he approached the police who took up a case and uncovered the gang’s activities.
They have been booked for forgery and cheating and remanded into judicial custody.
