The ongoing investigation into the Sri Parvatheeswarar Swamy Devasthanam land forgery case has taken a dramatic turn with the arrest of the District Deputy Collector Johnson, who originally filed the complaint, raising serious concerns about his signature was used to sell temple land.
The renowned Sri Parvatheeswarar Swamy temple is situated in the Kovilpathu revenue village of Karaikal district, Puducherry. A fraudulent order purporting to allocate temple land to the tourism department as part of a smart city initiative and the ONGC has circulated widely on social media.
Deputy Collector (Revenue) Johnson reported that his forged signature and seal were used in documents that misled buyers into acquiring temple property. Additionally, a complaint was lodged on behalf of the Hindu Munnani with District Collector Manikandan and the Puducherry Governor, alleging governmental and political interference in the land scam and demanding the arrest of the actual perpetrators.
In response, special police forces apprehended two brokers, K. Sivaraman and P. Thirumalai Rajan, who deceived victims into paying ₹3 lakh for falsely advertised land sales. The primary suspect, JCP Anand, who allegedly masterminded the fraudulent sales using counterfeit documents, is currently evading arrest, prompting authorities to issue a lookout notice for him. Based on leads provided by Anand, the police have filed cases against B. Anand, land surveyor Renukadevi, and others involved in the scam.
G. Renuka, 41, a Deputy Surveyor with the Karaikal Municipality, has been accused of fabricating official documents, including patta certificates and government orders, to facilitate the illicit sale of temple land near the JIPMER Campus in connection with the Smart City Project. During her interrogation, Renuka claimed that the scheme was orchestrated under Deputy Collector Johnson’s direction. Authorities also seized various documents and mobile devices from him.
Renuka admitted to leveraging her official position to access and forge land records. The police discovered forged patta documents and related materials at her home, along with equipment used for the forgeries. As a result, special police forces arrested Deputy Collector Johnson at his office, and investigators, led by the Senior Superintendent of Police, conducted a lengthy inquiry in a secure location at the women’s police station. They also confiscated Johnson’s mobile devices for cyber analysis.
Senior Superintendent of Police Manish characterized the incident as a “premeditated criminal conspiracy,” indicating that additional suspects may still be involved. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been established to track down the remaining individuals implicated in the case and to advance the investigation.
#JUSTIN || காரைக்கால் துணை ஆட்சியர் ஜான்சன் கைது
காரைக்கால் பார்வதீஸ்வரர் கோவில் நில மோசடி வழக்கில் கைது
அரசு மனைப் பட்டா வழங்குவதாகக் கூறி மோசடியில் ஈடுபட்டு கோடிக்கணக்கான பணம் பெற்றது விசாரணையில் அம்பலம்
மகளிர் காவல் நிலையத்தில் ரகசிய அறையில் வைத்து 15 மணி நேரம் விசாரணை… pic.twitter.com/4uFOdmHbqg
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) October 11, 2024
(With Inputs From Kumudam)
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