Vigilance nabs Vagamon resident for selling revenue land by forging title deed

Jolly Stephen. Photo: Manorama Online

Thodupuzha: The Vigilance has arrested an Ernakulam native from Bengaluru on charges of selling nearly three-and-half acres of revenue land in Vagamon by forging the title deed. The accused Jolly Stephen allegedly encroached on government land, fabricated the title deed and sold it. The land measures 3 acres and 40 cents.

Jolly’s former wife had raised a claim on this land. The fraud was revealed after she filed a complaint with the police in 2019 alleging that he had taken possession of the land which was in her name and those of her relatives by forging documents.

Earlier Jolly was booked for selling another 55 acres of government land in a similar manner, the Vigilance unit in Thodupuzha which apprehended Stephen stated.

The present case is that Jolly Stephen and his family members had in their possession 110 acres in Vagamon. He sold 55 acres after forging the document as the said land has no title deed. Resorts and other buildings have come up on the land sold by fabricating the documents.

With the cancellation of the title deeds, the future of these properties are under a cloud. The Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court has remanded the accused. Vagamon is in Peerumedu taluk of Idukki district.

Other cases

The Vigilance had registered a case against Jolly in 2021 for swindling Rs 18 lakh from the District Service Cooperative Bank by claiming to possess land in Ernakulam. The land too lacked necessary documents.

The police, meanwhile, say that he was arrested in 2003 on the charge of cheating the Kerala Financial Corporation of Rs 18 lakh by creating fake documents.

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