Karnataka Lokayukta unearths Rs 16.85 cr scam in SC/ST land allotment

A land allotment scam worth Rs 16.85 crore has come to light in the Vijayapura District Ambedkar Development Corporation, where bogus documents were created for land that was meant to be distributed to landless women from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

In the wake of the recent revelation of financial irregularities in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation to the tune of Rs 88 crore, the scam in the Ambedkar Development Corporation was uncovered after Lokayukta sleuths raided several officers' offices based on a complaint.

According to a statement issued by the Lokayukta on Saturday, a person had lodged a complaint alleging that the Vijayapura District Ambedkar Development Corporation did not distribute land to landless women agricultural workers from the Scheduled Castes under the Land Ownership Scheme from 2014 to 2018. Instead, they created fake purchase documents in the names of the beneficiaries and purchased the land without paying the rightful beneficiaries, using the name of the corporation.

The accused officers failed to give possession to the SC/ST women, violated the rules, misused government funds, and used the money for their gain, the Lokayukta said.

An inquiry was conducted, and a case was registered at the Vijayapura Lokayukta Police Station on December 26, 2024, under various sections of the IPC.

The Lokayukta police carried out raids at the office and residences of former district managers of the Ambedkar Development Corporation, Renuka Satarle, S G Hadapada, retired Taluk Development Officer S S Managiri (Retd), and the current district manager and Taluk Development Officer of the corporation over five days, starting December 30, last year.

"Violation of the criteria for selecting beneficiaries under the Land Ownership Scheme was discovered during the search. It was also found that fake documents were created, and non-local persons were made to appear as if they had purchased land under the scheme at their own expense," the Lokayukta said.

The investigation revealed that accounts were opened in private banks illegally, land was allotted to ineligible beneficiaries, and land was allotted to a single family under the Land Ownership Scheme.

"It has also been found that 23 files related to the Land Ownership Scheme from 2012 to 2018 were missing from the office. From the search so far, it has been found that fake purchase deeds, registration, and stamp duty receipts were created in 33 files, causing a loss of approximately Rs. 16.84 crore to the government exchequer," the Lokayukta added.

The investigation into the case is ongoing, it said.