The fake pattadar passbook scam, unearthed in Anantapur and Ongole districts, is likely to be investigated in all the districts of the state. The cabinet meeting held in Rajahmundry on Wednesday is understood to have take serious congnizance of the scam.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu instructed officials to check the authenticity of land documents on the basis of the Revenue Department’s online database (https://webland.ap.gov.in) and cross check it with the Registration Department, sources said.
He is said to have told his staff to probe the role of village revenue officers (VROs) and Mee Seva centres in the scam. Mr. Naidu suggested to ministers and district collectors to keep a close watch on land transactions and keep him posted about thief fininds.
Thousands of fake pattadar passbooks were detected in Anantapur and Ongole districts in recent weeks. Many of the fake passbooks were used by farmers to access bank loans. Estimates of the scam have cited the figure of Rs 50 crore in each district.
The scamsters who printed the passbooks are said to have sold thousands of them to farmers and arranged to have databases tampered with in Mee Seva centres. Over 17,000 fake pattadar passbooks were seized and 12 persons arrested in Anantapur district earlier this month.
