Land fraud repeats in capital: Two claimants for same property; 60 cents of land which includes plots of 12 houses snatched

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More cases of the mafia gang that is defrauding and impersonating the owners and snatching land in the Kerala capital have come to light. The latest incident is the sale of 60 cents of land, which includes plots of 12 houses in Sreevaraham Sangamam Nagar Dwarka Gardens in Muttathara Village, using forged documents.

It was during the investigation of an old case where some people had encroached on and demolished the ancestral property of the nearby Mankeezhu Tharavadu (ancestral home) that it was discovered that this 60 cents of land had been transferred to someone else and that the tax was being paid. Two Sale Deeds were made for the property with survey number 2315 by forging documents and obtaining permission to pay the tax without doing a property mutation.

Thandaper record also missing

The investigation was conducted after the claimants came forward against the move to encroach on the land that has been in the name of the Mankeezhu family for centuries. The claimants had reached Muttathara village to pay the land tax of 30 cents out of 52 cents, but permission was not granted in 2013. The village authorities said that the T-641 page where Thandaper (revenue record of a property owner) was recorded was missing. Vigilance and Poonthura police found that this page had been removed. However, no action was taken following the intervention of the land mafia-official lobby. This led to the illegal encroachment and demolition.

The report submitted by the Poonthura SHO has stated that the officer, village officer and other employees in the Kadakampally land fraud case conspired.

High Court orders case to be registered

The High Court has directed the Fort SHO to register a case in the encroachment on the property in the name of the Mankeezhu Tharavad. Along with the illegal encroachment, the fraud committed by the land mafia and the sale of the land by making forged documents should also be investigated and a report should be submitted. The case will be considered again on the 5th of next month by the court.