Government official arrested in temple land forgery case

In the ongoing investigation into the Sri Parvatheeswarar Swamy Devasthanam land forgery case, a government official has been arrested on Saturday for her role in the fraudulent sale of temple land.

G. Renuka, 41, a Deputy Surveyor with the Karaikal Municipality, has been charged with preparing forged documents, including patta certificates and government orders, to facilitate the fraudulent sale of temple land near the JIPMER Campus, Karaikal, under the pretext of the Smart City Project.

The case was initiated after Deputy Collector (Revenue) Johnson lodged a complaint, reporting that documents bearing his forged signature and seal were used to deceive buyers into purchasing temple land.

Earlier this month, police arrested two individuals, K. Sivaraman and P. Thirumalai Rajan, who acted as brokers in the scam, collecting ₹3 lakh from victims by falsely claiming the land was for sale. The main accused, JCP Anand, who allegedly orchestrated the sale of temple plots using forged documents, remains absconding. A lookout circular has been issued for his arrest.

Renuka admitted to using her position to access official documents and create forged land records for the scam. During the investigation, police recovered forged patta documents, government orders, and related materials from her residence, along with gadgets used to prepare the forgeries.

Senior Superintendent of Police Manish described the incident as a “planned criminal conspiracy” and said that more people could be involved. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to apprehend the remaining suspects and continue the investigation.

Published - September 30, 2024 05:52 pm IST