NH 74 scam: Revenue department clerk held for forging documents

RUDRAPUR: The Udham Singh Nagar police on Friday arrested the ahalmad (a revenue office clerk) after he was found guilty of tampering with records of land acquisition cases and had been booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) on March 21.
The ahalmad, Santram, is posted at Sitarganj, and is the first to be arrested in the infamous NH-74 land acquisition scam.So far over two dozen officers and employees have been placed under suspension in this connection.
Udham Singh Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sadanand Date told TOI that Santram was arrested under sections 420 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471(using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 218 (a public servant frames / prepares incorrect record with malicious intent of saving culprits) of IPC.
“The departmental action in the NH-74 scam and FIRs in it are now frozen by police, as the case was referred to the CBI. But two cases — theft at Kashipur SDM’s office and Santram, which are auxiliary to the scam — are being handled by the US Nagar police,” added SSP Date. Santram, who was arrested from his house in Sitarganj, was later sent to Haldwani jail, said Sitarganj circle officer Swatantra Kumar.