Land fraud case: Corporator’s husband among 13 booked in Ballari

Ballari: An alleged land fraud involving encroachment on govt property and the sale of plots using forged documents has come to light in Ballari, with the police booking 13 persons, including Shivaraj, the husband of Congress corporator Umadevi.The FIR was registered at APMC Yard police station following a complaint by district administration and revenue officials after an encroachment clearance drive at Survey No. 125 in Pathrabudihal village on May 22.According to the complaint, 7.8 acres of govt ‘stream land’ was encroached upon and illegally converted into plots, which were sold to the public using fake possession and sale documents. Officials said buyers were misled into believing the land belonged to the accused.“During the clearance drive, several people who had gathered told officials that the accused collected lakhs of rupees and sold plots using fake possession sale documents,” the complaint said.The operation was led by additional deputy commissioner Mohammed Zubair and assistant commissioner Rajesh HD under the government land protection committee.Honnurappa has been named A-1 accused, while Shivaraj figures as A-6. Charges include cheating, forgery, fabrication of documents and encroachment of government land.The complaint added that plots of varying sizes were sold through unregistered agreements, and in some cases, release deed numbers were used without mentioning survey numbers.“Encroached govt land is being reclaimed through special drives, and strict action will be taken against those involved,” Zubair said.The case is among the first major actions following the district administration’s recent crackdown on illegal layouts and encroachments in Ballari.