HYDERABAD: The Central Crime Station (CCS) of Hyderabad police has registered a case against 12 persons for allegedly cheating film director Vaitla Srinivasa Rao, popularly known as Srinu Vaitla, and his niece of over Rs 7 crore through a land fraud.
According to the complaint, the accused lured Vaitla and his niece Pasem Sweetha in January 2019 with an offer to sell dry agricultural land in Kadmoor village of Vikarabad district. They allegedly produced fake and fabricated documents, claiming ownership of the land. Believing the claims, the complainant paid the sale consideration through cheques and a registered sale deed was executed.
The fraud came to light when Vaitla received a notice from the Vikarabad collector regarding an inquiry into the land’s ownership. It was found that the sellers were not the rightful owners of the entire land and that records had been manipulated. Further, some claimants had approached the Telangana High Court, which directed verification of records and correction of Dharani entries. Following the inquiry, the land was allotted to other claimants and not to Vaitla and his niece.
The complainant alleged that the accused acted with criminal intent, using forged documents to induce the transaction, causing a wrongful loss of about Rs 7.2 crore, based on an estimated market value of `60 lakh per acre. Based on the complaint, CCS police registered a case and launched the probe.