6 held for selling Lord Jagannath’s land using forged docus
Puri: In a major crackdown on land fraud, Puri police on Friday arrested six persons for allegedly selling over 100 plots of land belonging to Lord Jagannath using forged documents, a police release said. The accused, all members of a local club, reportedly collected Rs 28 lakh through these illegal transactions.
The arrested individuals include the club’s president Shishul Behera (40), Sanjay Behera (29), Yashovanta Behera (29), Ratnakar Behera (31) and Babu Behera (32), all residents of Gokha Sahi. Police have recovered Rs 4.5 lakh from Shishul.
Inspector in-charge of Baseli Sahi police station, Manas Barik, said the accused used notarised agreements to sell the plots located in Matitota mouza. The fraudulent sales were conducted not only in their names but also in the names of family members, other club members and outsiders. “We believe more than 15 individuals are involved in this scam,” said Barik.
Police records reveal that two of the accused, Ratnakar and Shishul, have previous criminal records, including charges under the Arms Act, and assault cases.
The fraud came to light following a complaint to the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, who directed to take action against the land grabbers. The temple’s revenue department and the office of the sub-registrar have initiated necessary legal proceedings.
The arrested individuals include the club’s president Shishul Behera (40), Sanjay Behera (29), Yashovanta Behera (29), Ratnakar Behera (31) and Babu Behera (32), all residents of Gokha Sahi. Police have recovered Rs 4.5 lakh from Shishul.
Inspector in-charge of Baseli Sahi police station, Manas Barik, said the accused used notarised agreements to sell the plots located in Matitota mouza. The fraudulent sales were conducted not only in their names but also in the names of family members, other club members and outsiders. “We believe more than 15 individuals are involved in this scam,” said Barik.
Police records reveal that two of the accused, Ratnakar and Shishul, have previous criminal records, including charges under the Arms Act, and assault cases.
The fraud came to light following a complaint to the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, who directed to take action against the land grabbers. The temple’s revenue department and the office of the sub-registrar have initiated necessary legal proceedings.
