EOW busts land fraud racket in Karmad; prime accused held

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: An elaborate, well-organised land fraud racket was busted by the economic offences wing (EOW) of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural police. The prime accused, absconding for nearly two years, was arrested on Thursday. Police said a case for cheating and forgery was registered at Karmad police station under multiple BNS sections after an EOW inquiry established impersonation, large-scale Aadhaar card forgery and cheating victims of Rs70 lakh. The accused was found to have taken help from a Bengaluru-based credit society for encashing the cheque.The fraud came to light after complainant Santosh Shivaji Vaidya, a resident of Satara area near Beed bypass, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, submitted an application to the SP's office. Vaidya stated that in Jan 2025, broker Raju Jadhav approached him with an offer to sell agricultural land measuring 3.84 hectares at Karmad, claiming it belonged to Rayachuri Brahmarambha Rangadas and Rayachuri Sayanna Rangadas. An agreement to sell was executed, and Vaidya paid Rs50 lakh. However, the accused avoided executing the registered sale deed, prompting verification that revealed impersonation and forged documents.Investigators found that while the original landowner Sayanna Rayachuri is a man, a fake woman was produced in his place during the agreement, while 2 other women were presented as co-owners. The real landowners were completely unaware that transactions were being carried out in their names.During the probe, EOW uncovered another similar fraud involving 75 hectares of land from the same survey number, where Rs20 lakh was allegedly taken from Manoj Gatkal of Pachod through the same broker, again without completing the transaction.Police said the accused deliberately used women from southern India with similar-sounding names to the original owners to mislead buyers. Forged Aadhaar cards were used, and cheques issued in fake names were illegally encashed through a Bengaluru-based local credit society, whose operator was also named as an accused.On Jan 23, police arrested Vaishali Raju Jadhav (35) of Phulambri, who is currently in police custody. Another woman involved in impersonation was identified as E Lata Suresh from Tirupati.The prime accused, Raju alias Kachru Vitthal Jadhav, was arrested on Friday from the Hasul T-point area following a tip-off. Police said he was absconding since the offence and was also wanted in a 2022 case registered at Kadim Jalna police station. An Activa scooter without a number plate and two mobile phones worth Rs28,300 were seized from him.Appealing to citizens, SP Vinay Kumar Rathod said land buyers must exercise extreme caution. "People should not fall prey to unknown agents offering land, plots or houses at unusually low prices. Original ownership documents must be verified thoroughly, Aadhaar credentials authenticated, and public notices issued before entering into any property transaction. Such precautions can prevent financial fraud," Rathod said.Further investigation is being carried out by the EOW under assistant police inspector Amol Satodkar.