Belagavi: Belagavi police busted another sensational land fraud case in which private property was allegedly transferred by impersonating the original owners using fake Aadhaar cards and other forged documents, allegedly with the collusion of sub-registrar officials in Hukkeri and Sankeshwar.Police said cases against sub-registrar Madiwalayya Banimath were registered at both Hukkeri and Yamakanamaradi police stations. He was arrested in one case a few days back, and obtained anticipatory bail in another on Feb 8. Bond writer Anand Daddimani was also arrested. Police said they are searching for another sub-registrar who was posted at Sankeshwar during the period of the alleged fraud. The six acres of property was allegedly transferred illegally in May and June 2025.
The case came to light following a complaint by landowner Shivanand Maruti Kudanuri on Jan 22. During the investigation, police raided the residence of accused Neelakanth Shetteppa Mudupaki and seized 9 fake Aadhaar cards, 3 fake PAN cards, a fake voter ID, and 22 forged documents.Police also raided Suryavanshi Photo Studio, owned by Ashok Suryavanshi, and seized equipment allegedly used to create forged identity documents, including a computer, a laptop, a camera, two printers, and a lamination machine. Police arrested Mudupaki and Suryavanshi, along with their associate Vijay Shivshankar Mathad.Police said the accused in the case included Renuka Shankar Mali, Shivarudra Pradhani Kudnuri, Kashavva Shivarudra Kudnuri, Siddayya Nirupadayya Hiremath, and (late) Adiveppa Shetteppa Mudapaki, all residents of Kurani village. Investigators said they allegedly impersonated the original owners at the sub-registrar offices to execute registrations.Briefing the media here on Wednesday, superintendent of police K Ramarajan said the accused first transferred the land into another person’s name and then sold it immediately. He alleged that the sub-registrars “purposely allowed” registrations to go through without Aadhaar authentication and failed to verify other documents, including sale deeds, despite clear irregularities.The case came close on the heels of a similar incident exposed last week by Udyambag police involving Waghawade village, where eight suspects allegedly impersonated landowners using fake Aadhaar cards and forged documents to transfer property. However, in that case, the sub-registrar was not named as an accused.
