Vijayawada: A land fraud involving forged documents has come to light near Gorantla village in Guntur. A gang led by one Chintareddy Mahesh Reddy from Piduguralla allegedly attempted to illegally acquire 1.8 acres of land belonging to late Kothapalli Padmaja, who passed away in Feb 2022 due to cancer.According to Nallapadu police, the prime land worth several crores as per current market value, was fraudulently registered using forged documents. In Oct 2023, more than a year after Padmaja’s death, the accused allegedly presented another woman in her place and facilitated the registration of general power of attorney (GPA) documents through the Narasaraopet sub-registrar office.After the fruad came to light, Kothapalli Srinivasa Rao, late Padmaja’s husband, filed a complaint at Nallapadu police station in Jan 2024. He also recently approached minister Nara Lokesh at his Mangalagiri office, who directed the police to initiate an investigation. Following Lokesh’s intervention, Nallapadu police registered an FIR and started a detailed probe. Police found that the accused used the ‘anywhere registration’ process to carry out the land transfer. It was also found that the then sub-registrar, who is now retired, also filed a complaint with Narasaraopet police after coming to know about the fraudulent activities. Police said Mahesh Reddy played a central role in orchestrating the fraud. He allegedly arranged for a widow to impersonate the deceased (Padmaja) to obtain the GPAs. He is currently in police custody. During interrogation, he named a few others from Piduguralla mandal who assisted him in the operation, including bringing the woman who posed as Padmaja. Police are now searching for the other accused in the case who are absconding.
