Hyderabad police arrest 10 for attempting to grab 100 acres of govt land worth ₹700 crore

Ten people, including an employee of the Telangana State Archives and Research Institute, were arrested for allegedly conspiring to grab 100 acres of government land worth around ₹700 crore by forging a historical decree from the Nizam era, police said on Friday.

“In all 46 persons were found to be involved in the conspiracy and we are examining evidence against them. There may be more arrests in the coming days,” Osmania University inspector of police V Dasu told HT, refusing to disclose further details of the suspects.

Dasu said the accused allegedly created a fabricated “farman” (an irrevocable royal decree) purportedly issued during the Nizam’s rule with the help of an employee of the State Archives and Research Institute.

“The forgery came to light when officials of the Rangareddy District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) grew suspicious of the document submitted by the claimants during proceedings over the disputed land,” he said.

The inspector said the disputed property is located in Survey No. 613 at Nadergul in Balapur mandal of Rangareddy district. The survey number covers 373.22 acres of government land, over which a dispute has been continuing for several years, with certain private individuals claiming ownership.

In 2023, a group of 46 people began claiming approximately 100 acres of the property. They allegedly devised a plan to establish ownership by producing a historical “farman” from the Nizam era, which they believed would help substantiate their claims.

For this purpose, the group allegedly approached a clerk of the State Archives and Research Institute in Tarnaka and offered him money in exchange for his assistance. With the employee’s alleged help, a fake farman was prepared on March 28, 2023, purportedly reproducing a decree issued during the Nizam’s rule.

The 46 claimants reportedly split into two groups and approached the Rangareddy DLSA with the purportedly forged document, seeking recognition of their ownership rights over the disputed property.

Investigators suspect that the two groups had devised a plan to divide the land among themselves according to their respective shares, irrespective of which group received a favourable order in the proceedings.

The claimants allegedly submitted an application before the Lok Adalat, asserting that the “farman” established their ownership rights over the land. The strategy was reportedly aimed at securing legal recognition of their claims and facilitating the division of the property.

The dispute came up for hearing before the DLSA on February 22, 2025. During the proceedings, officials reportedly noticed discrepancies in the “farman” submitted by the claimants and decided to examine its authenticity.

A subsequent verification established that the document was forged, exposing the alleged attempt to secure ownership of government land through fabricated historical records. “It was evident from the verification of the original records maintained by the State Archives and Research Institute, including documents relating to the issuance and authentication of the farman,” Dasu said.

Following the discovery, a complaint was lodged with the police, and a case was registered under various sections of the BNS, including those relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, use of forged documents, fabrication or manipulation of public records, destruction or concealment of evidence, criminal trespass, extortion, criminal intimidation and abuse of legal or judicial processes. “Investigation is on,” the inspector said.