Tusiyana ‘land scam’: Two govt officials among 3 held
A special investigation team, constituted earlier this year under the Gautam Budh Nagar police, on Wednesday arrested three persons, including two government officials, for their involvement in the Tusiyana village land irregularities case.
Kailash Bhati, one of the arrested suspects, is the brother of Narendra Bhati, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and a member of the legislative council (MLC) from Gautam Budh Nagar, said officials.
“During investigation, it found that Kailash Bhati is the brother of BJP leader Narendra Bhati,” said Bharti Singh, additional commissioner of police, (HQ).
The alleged irregularities happened between 2014 and 2017 when Kailash Bhati was a manager of Greater Noida authority, and Narendra Bhati a member of Samajwadi Party. In 2021, he joined the BJP and won the MLC seat earlier this year.
Officials said that the irregularities resulted in a loss of several crores of rupees to the government exchequer. Several hundred metres of land was illegally acquired by the suspects in connivance with officials posted in Greater Noida authority and using forged documents.
An FIR in this regard was registered at the Ecotech-3 police station by Yatendra Kumar Bhati, a member of Sach Seva Samiti (Trust) and a resident of Sector 105, against five identified people.
In his complaint, he alleged that a large portion of land in Tusiyana village was acquired illegally by the five in connivance with officials of Greater Noida authority. The five later also claimed compensation from the state government along with 6% plots.
The FIR was registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery for purpose of
cheating) and 471 (fraudulently uses as genuine any document which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forge).
Later, on May 30, an SIT was constituted to look into the matter.
On Wednesday, police arrested the then Greater Noida manager Kailash Bhati, Kamal Singh, presently posted as junior assistant in Greater Noida authority, and Deepak, a resident of Makoda village in Greater Noida for their involvement in the case.
“In 1995, plots in Tusiyana village were acquired by a technology park limited company. Later, in 1997, the director of the company, PS Sabharwal, gave the power of attorney of one plot, which was around 20 bighas (3.33 acres), to Rajendra Singh and MS Kant. Later, Rajendra Singh furnished the lease deed of the land in the name of his relatives Swetna, Madhu Singh, Ravindra, Virendra, Geeta Singh and Surendra. In 2014, when the Greater Noida authority acquired this land, the six persons, in whose name the lease deed was executed, were given compensation as well as 6% plots,” said Bharti Singh, additional commissioner of police (Headquarters).
During investigation, it was found that the lease deed was drawn up illegally, in connivance with the authority officials, said Anil Kumar Yadav, additional deputy commissioner of police (crime).
“Between 2014 and 2017, the allotted plots were also transferred to Tugalpur village under Knowledge Park-1 police station by conspiracy of suspect Rajendra Singh. The forged documents were prepared by Deepak Singh, who is the son of Rajendra Singh, and they were signed by authority officials Kailash Bhati and Kamal Singh on behalf of the signing authority,” said Yadav.
He added that several more names have cropped up in the investigation and further inquiry is underway.