Bengaluru, 4 Jan

A land allotment scam worth Rs 16.85 crore has come to light in the Vijayapura District Ambedkar Development Corporation, where bogus documents were created for land that was meant to be distributed to landless women from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

In the wake of the recent revelation of financial irregularities in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation to the tune of Rs 88 crore, the scam in the Ambedkar Development Corporation was uncovered after Lokayukta sleuths raided several officers' offices based on a complaint.

According to a statement issued by the Lokayukta on Saturday, a person had lodged a complaint alleging that the Vijayapura District Ambedkar Development Corporation did not distribute land to landless women agricultural workers from the Scheduled Castes under the Land Ownership Scheme from 2014 to 2018. Instead, they created fake purchase documents in the names of the beneficiaries and purchased the land without paying the rightful beneficiaries, using the name of the corporation.

The accused officers failed to give possession to the SC/ST women, violated the rules, misused government funds, and used the money for their gain, the Lokayukta said.

An inquiry was conducted, and a case was registered at the Vijayapura Lokayukta Police Station on 26 December, 2024, under various sections of the IPC.

The Lokayukta police carried out raids at the office and residences of former district managers of the Ambedkar Development Corporation, Renuka Satarle, SG Hadapada, retired Taluk Development Officer S S Managiri (Retd), and the current district manager and Taluk Development Officer of the corporation over five days, starting 30 December, last year.

"Violation of the criteria for selecting beneficiaries under the Land Ownership Scheme was discovered during the search. It was also found that fake documents were created, and non-local persons were made to appear as if they had purchased land under the scheme at their own expense," the Lokayukta said. -PTI