Penamaluru police in Krishna district have busted a five-member gang accused of creating fake registration documents for vacant lands and selling them behind the backs of the original owners, in a case that has raised fresh alarm over property fraud targeting vulnerable families and absentee landholders.
The arrests were made on Saturday after a complaint from a victim set off an investigation led by Penamaluru Circle Inspector N. Venkata Narayana, with support from Sub-Inspectors Sandeep and Sudhakar. Police said they also seized duplicate documents relating to a parcel of land in Kanuru village, a key piece of evidence that helped establish the alleged forgery network.
According to Gannavaram Deputy Superintendent of Police Kosuri Dharmendra, the gang specifically targeted senior citizens, bedridden patients and Non-Resident Indians, groups that are often less able to monitor land records or respond quickly to suspicious transactions. The accused allegedly identified vacant plots that had remained unused for long periods and then built a paper trail of forged records to make the properties appear legally transferable.
The arrested men were identified as M. Adireddy, M. Venkata Ramana Phani Kumar, U. Sambasiva Udaya Bhaskar, R. Shiva Anjaneyulu alias RMP Shiva and K. Amaleswara Rao. Police said all five are natives of NTR and Krishna districts. Investigators believe the group operated with a clear division of roles, using forged identity and civil-status documents to create the appearance of legitimate ownership and inheritance.
One of the most serious allegations in the case is that the gang allegedly fabricated death certificates for the landowner and his wife, then registered the property in the name of Adireddy, who police said was also part of the gang. To strengthen the deception, the accused allegedly produced a woman as the daughter of the couple, even though the couple's actual daughter was living abroad. Police said this impersonation was used to support the false claim over the land and to push the transaction through the registration process.
The case underscores a recurring problem in land administration: the ease with which forged documents can be used to exploit properties that are not actively monitored by their owners. In many such cases, vacant plots become attractive targets because there is little day-to-day oversight, and the original owners may live elsewhere, be physically incapacitated, or be unaware of changes in local records until a sale or mutation has already taken place.
Circle Inspector N. Venkata Narayana said the gang's modus operandi was to identify such unused plots and create fake documents to facilitate their sale. He added that more arrests were likely as the investigation continues, suggesting that the network may have involved additional intermediaries, document handlers or beneficiaries.
Superintendent of Police V. Vidyasagar Naidu praised the Penamaluru police for swiftly apprehending the accused and urged the public to monitor their properties regularly. His advice reflects the practical reality that landowners, especially those living outside the district or abroad, often need to conduct periodic checks of revenue records, registration entries and local possession status to detect fraud early.
The arrests are likely to intensify scrutiny of property transactions involving vacant land in Krishna district, where land values have risen sharply in several areas and fraudulent claims can yield significant financial gains. For now, police say the investigation remains open, and the duplicate records seized from the accused may help trace the wider chain of forged registrations and identify others who may have participated in the scheme or benefited from it.