The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Wing (VAC) has arrested A. Sureshraj, Director of the Puducherry Department of Information and Publicity, in connection with the alleged fraudulent transfer of land belonging to the Kamatchiamman Temple, marking the latest arrest in the multi-crore temple land scam.
According to investigators, the scam involves the alleged illegal transfer of temple-owned land measuring around 64,035 square feet in the prime Rainbow Nagar area through forged documents, including a fake will and fabricated land records. Officials estimate the guideline value of the property at more than ₹12 crore, while its market value is believed to be nearly ₹50 crore.
The investigation has revealed an alleged conspiracy involving private individuals and several serving and former government officials who are suspected of facilitating fraudulent mutations and ownership transfers of the temple property.
Investigators alleged that Sureshraj was serving as Sub-Registrar at the Oulgaret Registration Office when the disputed transactions took place. He is accused of allowing the registration of documents without properly verifying their authenticity, enabling the fraudulent transfer of the temple land.
Following his arrest on Saturday, Sureshraj was produced before Puducherry Chief Judicial Magistrate T.V. Anand at the judge’s residence and was remanded to judicial custody at Kalapet Central Prison. He was subsequently released on bail.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Wing has already arrested several other accused in the case, including former Director of Survey, Settlement and Land Records M.S. Ramesh, who also held additional charge as District Registrar, and former Director of Fisheries D. Balaji, who had previously served in the Revenue Department. Investigators alleged that Balaji illegally updated the land ownership records (patta) in favour of one of the principal accused on the basis of a forged will.
Other arrested accused include Villianur Sub-Registrar V. Sivasamy and former Village Administrative Officer Chinnasamy, also known as Palani, who is alleged to have assisted in creating fake local clearance records used during the fraudulent land transfer process.
Officials believe forged wills, fabricated revenue documents and manipulated registration records were systematically used to facilitate the illegal transfer and sale of the temple property. The investigation is focused on identifying the complete conspiracy, establishing the role of each accused, and determining whether additional officials or private individuals were involved in the alleged fraud.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Wing continues to examine land records, registration documents and other evidence as part of its ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of valuable temple property. Authorities are also verifying whether similar methods were used in other land transactions linked to the accused.:::
