KOCHI: It’s a well-scripted crime conspired by the prime accused, Abu aka Abooty who connived with a Revenue Department employee and forged the documents to convert 25 cents of wetland into dry land at Choornikkara.
According to investigators, Abooty, reportedly an expert in Revenue Department officialese, with the assistance of an employee had carried out the fraud. Arun, 34, of Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram, an office assistant with the Land Revenue Commissionerate, allegedly took the forged documents inside the Land Revenue Commissionerate and stamped the fake order with the official seal of Land Revenue Commissioner and the name seal of a senior superintendent without their knowledge. The Aluva East Police recorded the arrest of Arun on Saturday. He was taken into custody on Friday following the arrest of the prime accused Abooty aka Abu, a native of Sreemoolanagaram. The police will approach the court to remand the two accused and probe further.
Abu hatched the entire plan to forge the documents after his earlier attempts to get it done via RDO office and Choornikkara Village Office failed. Abu had filed an application with the Land Revenue Commissioner seeking permission for the conversion.
The application though did not yield any response. Following this, Abu forged an order of the Land Revenue Commissioner at a computer centre in Thiruvananthapuram and handed it over to Arun who returned it after putting the office seals. Abu paid Arun, his friend, `30,000 in return for the favour.
Abu handed over a copy of the order to Choornikkara Village office and Taluk office. He then forged an order of the RDO at a computer centre in North Paravur by placing a digital signature of the officer. He submitted it the forged document to the Choornikara Village Officer. The officer, however, grew suspicious over the authenticity of the order and informed higher officials, which led to the registration of a police case.
Aluva DySP K A Vidyadharan seized the documents and interrogated the officers concerned.
Meanwhile, the arrest of the Revenue Department employee has evoked suspicion on the authenticity of all the land deals which involved Abooty.