Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police have unearthed a major land fraud racket in the Bharatpur area of the city, arresting two accused for allegedly cheating several people by selling government land using forged documents.

The cases were registered at the Bharatpur Police Station based on separate written complaints filed by multiple victims, following which an investigation was launched.

According to police, the accused, Y. Ramana Rao and Sanju alias Sanjay Kumar Sahu along with their associates, were fraudulently claiming ownership over Bhoodan land under Sampur mouza. They allegedly lured unsuspecting buyers by falsely presenting the land as legally owned, dispute-free, and fit for sale.

To gain the victims’ trust, the accused reportedly prepared fake documents and executed notarised agreements. Believing their claims, several complainants paid large sums of money through digital transactions such as PhonePe as well as in cash.

In one case, a victim paid around Rs 6 lakh to purchase approximately 1,050 square feet of land in the Bhoodan area. In another instance, a complainant was duped of Rs 60,000 after being misled into believing that government land was private Bhoodan land.

The fraud came to light during eviction drives carried out by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA). Authorities discovered that the land in question was government property that had been illegally encroached upon. Structures built on the land were subsequently demolished.

When the victims demanded refunds, the accused allegedly avoided repayment on various pretexts before eventually switching off their mobile phones and going absconding.

During the investigation, police seized several incriminating materials, including notarised agreements, transaction screenshots, and other forged documents related to the fraudulent land deals. The probe revealed the accused had conspired to cheat the public by fabricating documents and making false promises, despite having no legal rights over the land.

Acting on reliable inputs, police teams conducted raids at the residence of Y. Ramana Rao in Bharatpur and at a location in Shampur, leading to the arrest of both accused. During interrogation, they reportedly confessed to their involvement in the crime.

Sanju alias Sanjay Kumar Sahu has multiple prior cases registered against him at Bharatpur Police Station, including land fraud and criminal intimidation. Y. Ramana Rao also has a previous cheating case registered against him.

Today, both accused were arrested and forwarded to court. Police said further investigation is underway to identify other associates involved in the racket and to trace additional victims.