Major Property Registration Scam Uncovered in Bengaluru
The Karnataka government has exposed a significant fraud within its much-touted digital property registration system, leading to the immediate suspension of five officials. The scam revolves around the illegal registration of approximately 1,332 properties over a precise one-year period from December 6, 2024, to December 5, 2025. The fraudulent activities bypassed the mandatory e-khata system, which was designed as a foolproof digital safeguard.
Officials Suspended and System Manipulated
The Department of Stamps and Registrations took swift action, suspending the implicated sub-registrars for their alleged involvement. The suspended officials are Ravi Sankana Gouda, N Satish Kumar, Sridhar (first division assistant-in-charge sub-registrar), Girish Chandra, and R Prabhavathi.
Their alleged misconduct includes the misuse of the Kaveri 2.0 portal, failure to import mandatory e-khata details from the e-swathu software, and illegally registering sale deeds. The scam came to light following a formal complaint filed by the executive director of the Centre for Smart Governance (CSG), the agency providing technological solutions to government departments.
How the E-Khata Safeguards Were Bypassed
Investigations reveal a sophisticated manipulation of the system. Since 2024, the Kaveri-2 portal has not permitted any property registration without a valid e-khata. However, individuals allegedly accessed the Unified Land Management System (ULMS), which holds comprehensive land records, and hacked the software.
This manipulation falsely projected certain properties as having a valid e-khata under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department, enabling their illegal registration. The complaint states that miscreants forged property documents and bypassed system safeguards entirely.
Technical analysis has identified software bypasses in several sub-registrar offices, including those in Banaswadi, Ulsoor, and Varthur. Sources indicate that several offices with jurisdiction over rural gram panchayat properties were particularly affected, with most illegal registrations traced back to them.
Legal Repercussions and Broader Implications
Based on the CSG complaint, the North CEN police have registered a cybercrime case against unknown persons. The case has been filed under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
This incident marks the second major case of fraudulent property registration reported since the e-khata system was made mandatory for all property registrations in Bengaluru. It raises serious questions about the integrity of the digital infrastructure meant to prevent such fraud and the oversight within the registration department.
The scandal underscores a critical vulnerability in a system launched with fanfare to bring transparency and security to property transactions, a sector prone to manipulation and corruption.
