Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, May 15—In a significant crackdown on land-related corruption, four employees of the Consolidation Department have been arrested in Sambhal district for their alleged involvement in a major land fraud case involving the illegal allocation of 326 bighas of government land.
According to Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar, the fraudulent allotments took place in Sukhaila village, located in the Gunnaur area, where the land was officially classified as uninhabited.
Fraud Under 58 Fake Names
The matter came to light in 2018 when local revenue official (Lekhpal) Kuldeep Singh lodged a complaint that triggered an FIR. Investigations revealed that the land had been wrongfully allocated under 58 fictitious names, with all the associated personal details, including addresses, found to be fake.Arrests and Investigation Status
Four of the accused departmental employees — Kali Charan, Ram Avtar, Mor Dhwaj, and Ram Niwas — were taken into custody on Thursday. Notably, four other implicated individuals had died earlier, and one suspect, Surendra Kumar, remains at large.Police confirmed that further investigation is ongoing to determine the full scope of the fraud and identify any additional culprits.
This case underscores the persistent challenges of land record manipulation in rural regions and the need for robust oversight mechanisms in government departments.
