A deputy collector from Karaikal, G Johnson, was arrested on Friday for his involvement in a case involving the sale of temple land using forged documents. This arrest follows the earlier detention of four individuals who allegedly sold the land as house plots, defrauding the public of crores of rupees.
According to sources, the group fabricated documents to misrepresent the market value of a land parcel near JIPMER Medical College, which is under the administration of the Parvatheeswarar temple in Karaikal. They sold the land to unsuspecting buyers earlier this year. “G Johnson was arrested because his signature and seal were misused in the documents,” stated a senior police official.
Earlier this year, a realtor named P Anand Kumar (48) and a land broker, K Sivaraman (40), presented potential buyers with forged market value papers. They also produced a falsified government order dated July 2, 2024, supposedly signed by IAS Officer A Kulothungan as ‘Special Secretary (Revenue).’ This order claimed to approve the transfer of five acres of land under the Parvatheeswarar temple to the tourism department as part of the Smart Cities Mission.
The case of forgery and cheating came to light when Deputy Collector Johnson, an officer in the Puducherry civil services cadre, filed a complaint at the Karaikal Town police station on September 3, stating that his signature and seal had been misused. Following this, Karaikal SSP Manish Shaurya formed a special team to investigate the allegations.
This incident highlights the ongoing issues of land fraud and the misuse of official documents, prompting calls for stricter regulatory measures to protect unsuspecting buyers.