The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at five locations in Hyderabad, intensifying its probe into a land scam allegedly involving fraudulent property transactions in Maheswaram, Telangana. The searches were carried out in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation, based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed at Maheswaram Police Station in 2023.
Among the individuals searched were Munawar Khan, Khaderunnisa, and others named in the original FIR. Several of the targeted locations were in the Old City area of Hyderabad, known for high-value land disputes. The case involves 42 acres and 33 guntas of land in Nagaram village, which was reportedly registered and mutated illegally despite being under Section 22-A prohibitory categories of the Telangana Registration of Stamps Act.
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While IAS officer D Amoy Kumar, currently serving in the Animal Husbandry Department, has not been named as an accused, the ED continues to examine his role in the disputed transactions. Kumar previously served as District Collector of Rangareddy, the jurisdiction under which the land falls.
Origin of Case: Fraudulent Land Mutation and Registration via Dharani Portal
The investigation stems from a complaint filed by Dastagir Shareef, a resident of Mehdipatnam, who alleged that government officials and private individuals had colluded to fraudulently register land that was under government prohibition. The land was allegedly mutated and sold using the Dharani portal, a government platform meant to improve transparency in land records but which has now come under scrutiny for its vulnerability to manipulation.
The FIR names multiple accused including:
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Khaderunnisa
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Mohammed Munawar Khan
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RP Jyothi (then MRO and Joint Sub-Registrar, Maheswaram)
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Bobbili Damodar Reddy
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Bobbili Viswanath Reddy
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N Santosh Kumar
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Kondapally Sridhar Reddy
The complainant claims that forged documents were used to manipulate revenue records, resulting in the issuance of illegal sale deeds and passbooks. These transactions reportedly facilitated the illegal transfer of land worth crores.
ED Probes Money Laundering Angle; IAS Officer’s Decisions Under Lens
ED officials are now examining whether proceeds from the illegal land deals were laundered through other financial channels. According to sources, the probe includes investigating bank transactions, shell companies, and property acquisitions linked to the accused.
The role of public servants, especially RP Jyothi and other revenue officials, is also under close examination. The investigation is particularly focused on how land classified under the 22-A list—meant to prevent fraudulent transfers—was allowed to be sold and mutated in the Dharani portal.
While D Amoy Kumar has not been formally charged, the ED had questioned him in October 2024, and investigators are examining whether his administrative decisions as district collector enabled the manipulation of land records. This case adds to a growing list of land-related corruption cases in Telangana, where illegal property transactions, collusion between bureaucrats and private players, and misuse of digital portals have raised alarm over the integrity of public land management systems.
The ED is expected to summon more individuals for questioning and may expand the scope of the investigation in the coming weeks.