KADAPA: Acting into complaints of irregularities including circulation of fake challans of Rs 200 denominations in the registration offices in Kadapa town, three sub-registrars and two clerks were placed under suspension on Saturday. Sub-registrars Chandramohan and Subba Reddy, and a clerk, Ratnamma, working in the Kadapa Urban Sub-registrar Office and sub-registrar Harikrishna and another clerk working in Kadapa Rural SRO were suspended.
Meanwhile, police have started an investigation and preliminary reports indicate the state exchequer suffered a presumptive loss of Rs 1 crore income by way of sale of challans. A stamp vendor and a computer operator have been taken into custody for interrogation. Without paying the registration fees, it was being uploaded in CFMS portal as paid and fake challans were created. Police verified such dubious transactions involving Rs 50 lakh worth registration fees.
The State government has come out with a system in which there is no role for documentation writers in the sub-registrar offices. Only sellers and buyers along with witnesses are supposed to be allowed.
However, it was found that not a single transaction was done without the involvement of the middlemen. After the episode of fake challans came to light, the effectiveness of the ‘transparent’ registration process came under the scanner.
On August 2, the sub-registrar verified the application pertaining to registration and found that Rs 200 registration fees were not paid. He stopped the registration and asked the party to pay the said amount. Within short order, the party submitted the challan for Rs 20,000.
The officials suspected some foul play as the amount paid was Rs 20,000 instead of Rs 200 and further, it was done in a very short time. He checked the account to which the amount was to be credited. He found that no transaction had happened and the challan submitted was fake.
It was found that touts are manipulating the CFMS by entering fake numbers without transacting any money.
Even as a departmental enquiry was being conducted into the CFMS irregularities, police started their investigation based on the complaint filed by the registration and stamp’s department. Police took document writer Jayaramakrishna and computer operator, Guru Prasad, into custody and cheating cases were registered against them.
District registrar Chennakeshava Reddy said those involved in the fake chalan racket were identified and a police complaint has been lodged against them. He said they are also conducting an internal inquiry.
According to sub-inspector Mohan, the document writer used the same challan number many times and did not even change the amount paid, which cost him dearly.