BHADRAK: Dhamnagar police in Bhadrak district has arrested two siblings on charges of fraudulently declaring their 60-year-old mother dead in official records and transferring her land and house in their names.
Police said the accused Sk Tofek (44) and his brother Sk Mojahid (34), residents of Jayanagar village in Dhamnagar, were arrested on Friday and produced in court on Saturday.
The action came after the victim, Aisha Bibi, staged dharna outside the Bhadrak SP’s office on Friday, demanding restoration of her property and stringent action against her sons.
Aisha alleged that while she was away on a pilgrimage in 2023, her two sons submitted an affidavit claiming that she had died around 40 years ago.
They also allegedly stated that she had no daughters. Based on the purported affidavit, the Dhamnagar revenue inspector (RI) allegedly submitted a report declaring Aisha dead without proper verification. Her name was subsequently removed from the relevant land records, and her house and other property were allegedly transferred in the names of her two sons.
The woman said she has six daughters. The entire process was carried out deliberately to deprive her and her daughters of their rightful property, she alleged.
After discovering the alleged manipulation of the records, Aisha approached Dhamnagar police on July 10 and lodged a complaint against her two sons, their wives and the RI concerned.
She alleged that no concrete action was taken for 18 days despite her complaint.
After being informed of the matter, Bhadrak SP Manoj Kumar Rout directed Dhamnagar police to take appropriate action. The district administration was also informed in writing about the allegations against the RI, with officials assuring that appropriate action would be taken after verification.
Dhamnagar IIC Subhrajit Das said the victim called off her protest following an assurance from the police that legal action would be taken against all persons found involved in the alleged fraud.
