A SENSATIONAL land-grabbing syndicate operating in the posh localities of Ganesh Nagar and Jatkhedi has been unearthed by the Misrod police. Following a detailed forensic investigation, former Health Department Deputy Director, Pramod Srivastava, has been sent to jail, while a manhunt is underway for his associate and mastermind, Suresh Menon. According to Misrod police, the case stems from a com plaint filed by Shyamnath Sharma. The victim alleged that Srivastava and Menon had set their sights on his five high-val ue plots (Nos. 205, 207-C, B-37, B-40, etc.) in Ganesh Nagar Colony. To usurp these properties, the duo allegedly fabricated sale agreements and pos session letters dated 2003 and 2018, using the names of Sharma and his wife, Radha Sharma.

 

The investigation took a decisive turn when the police questioned the notary, Bhagwan Swarup Srivastava, whose sig natures appeared on the 2003 agreement. The notary categorically denied signing the documents, confirming they were forged. Furthermore, a claim in the forged papers stating that Srivastava’s mother had loaned Rs 21 lakh to her daugter-in-law was found to be entirely baseless and suspicious by the authorities. Suresh Menon, identified as Srivastava’s ‘benami’ front, is considered the mastermind behind the legal complexities.

 

While Menon claimed in court to be unemployed with mini mal income, police found him involved in dozens of land disputes across the city. His fraudulent tactics were exposed when investigators found contradictory legal filings; in one instance, Menon claimed ownership of Plot No. 205, while in a separate forged agreement, he signed as a witness acknowledging Shyamnath Sharma as the owner. Initially registered under Section (Cheating), 420 the police escalated the charges after the Q u e s t i o n e d Documents (QD) report confirmed the forgery.

 

Serious charges under Sections 467 (Forgery of valuable security), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (Using as genuine a forged document) have been added to the FIR. The SDM (Kolar) court had previously scrutinized these documents and concluded that Srivastava had no ownership rights over the Bawadia Kalan lands. The court observed that the documents presented by the duo were “prima facie suspicious.” Police officials not ed that the syndicate never produced original documents, relying solely on photocopies to blackmail legitimate landowners. “This arrest is a significant blow to the organized land mafia in the city,” a senior official stated, adding that they are now probing other frauds committed by this group.