KOCHI:The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has closed investigation into two more cases related to the land grab scam in Nelliyampathy, in which some estate owners allegedly pledged forest land for availing bank loans.
The closure reports of cases registered against Shernelly Estate and Karappara Estate were filed before the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate.
With this, the CBI has now closed probe into all the six cases registered against various estates in Nelliyampathy.
The cases were registered under Sections 120(B), 420, 447, 465, 468, 471, 421 and 167 of the IPC. In the case against Shernelly Estate, the accused persons were K K Abraham of Poovathodu, Kottayam; officials of State Bank of India (SBI), Palakkad; Revenue Department and Registration Department.
The case was that the accused persons cheated the Government of Kerala by violating the lease agreement of 70.44 acres of forest land by creating fake documents, and availed loan from bank.
K K Abraham took an agricultural loan of Rs 29 lakh from SBI, Palakkad, allegedly using documents of forest land leased in 2005. However, the CBI probe revealed that no document was forged for availing the loan. There are provisions for availing loan using leased land as security. The loan amount was repaid by the accused in 2012.
In the case against Karappara Estate, the accused persons were Jaseela Majeed; P V Majeed, Muhamna Nazeer of Guruvayur; P V Aboobacker and Abdul Khadeer of Chavakkad; P Muhammed of Ottapalam; officials of the State Bank of India; officials of Revenue Department and officials of Registration Department.
The accused took a loan of Rs 3.34 crore from SBI, allegedly by pledging forest land.
However, the CBI probe revealed that the accused did not forge any document for availing loan.
Though initially the accused failed to repay the loan regularly, they settled the dues following the intervention of the court.
The central investigating agency probed a total of six graft cases related to similar offences against owners of various estates in Nelliyampathy.
Cases were registered against Shernelly Estate, Miraflores Estate, Smitha Mount Estate, Alexandriya Estate, Karappara Estate and Laxmi Estate, based on complaints by the Forest Department.