Land scam: CB seizes documents

BHUBANESWAR: The Crime Branch (CB) of Odisha Police has stumbled upon incriminating official files, land deeds and blank stamp papers during its raids as part of its investigation into 69-acre land scam in Puri and Khurda districts. Several persons, who had got the land registered in their names in fraudulent manner with the help of Revenue officials, came under the raids carried out at nine places in the two districts. Most of the land in question is scattered in and around Pipili, just after the Capital’s outskirts. The CB had begun investigation after a complaint was lodged by Joint Secretary of Revenue and Disaster Management Department in August last year. Four cases were registered. It was revealed that Revenue officials had taken advantage of fire mishaps that had taken place several years ago in the Puri tahasildar office to embezzle the land. Since records were gutted, certified copies of the land, whose records were no more available, were created fraudulently and issued. Retired tahasildars and clerical staff were searched during the raids and so were those who had benefited. The price of the land could run into crores.