Hyderabad, April 29 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate, Hyderabad Zonal Office, seized 45 cars, including several vintage cars, during the searches conducted in Hyderabad on Tuesday in connection with an ongoing investigation regarding alienation of government land for personal gains.
The searches were conducted at five locations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The agency seized incrimination documents related to the fraudulent sale and purchase of government land, Indian currency of Rs 23 lakh and 12,000 UAE Dirhams.
The searches were conducted at the residences and farmhouses of accused Khaderunissa, Mohd Munawar Khan, Mohd Lateef Sharfan, Mohd Akhtar Sharan and Mohd Shukoor.
The central agency stated in a statement on Tuesday that 45 old and used cars, including several vintage cars, were also seized from the farmhouse of Munawar Khan.
The ED initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by Telangana Police against private persons and government officials regarding illegal sale of government land involving forgery of documents and manipulation of government revenue records.
“ED investigation revealed that government land/Bhoodan land situated in Nagaram village, Maheshwaram Mandal was falsely claimed by Khaderunissa as her ancestral property, that revenue records were fraudulently mutated and the land was sold to various entities in association with several middlemen,” the ED said.
“These middlemen, in connivance with government officials, forged the documents and changed the land revenue records, resulting in de-notifying the said land from the prohibited list and its subsequent sale to some private parties,” it added.
In March 2023, Dastagir Shareef had filed a private complaint in a court that some individuals, with the alleged collusion of revenue officials, fraudulently obtained succession rights, mutated revenue records and issued illegal pass books for 42.33 acres of land in Nagaram village in Maheshwaram mandal of Rangareddy district.
In October last year, the ED had questioned senior IAS officer Amoy Kumar.
Currently posted in the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Department, Amoy Kumar had earlier served as the district collector of Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts.
Though Amoy Kumar was not named as an accused in the FIR, his role regarding the use of the Dharani portal and registration of properties under prohibited categories came under scrutiny.
On the court’s direction, the police registered the FIR and took up an investigation. Several individuals, including Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) R. P. Jyothi, Munawar Khan, Khaderunnisa, K. Sridhar Reddy and others were named in the FIR.
–IANS
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