Hyderabad Land Registration Fraud Exposed: Software Tool Manipulated Payment Details
The revenue department in Telangana has launched an urgent review of registration challans across multiple districts. This action comes after authorities discovered a sophisticated fraud scheme involving land registration fee payments. District collectors have received specific instructions to examine records immediately.
Focus on High-Value Registration Districts
Officials are paying particular attention to four districts where land values and registration volumes remain consistently high. These districts include Rangareddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, Sangareddy and Bhuvanagiri Yadadri. Preliminary scrutiny has already revealed serious irregularities in approximately 4,800 registration fee payments across three districts.
The government estimates this fraud has caused a revenue loss of about Rs 52 crore. Nearly 3,000 problematic cases emerged from Rangareddy and Yadadri districts alone. This concentration highlights how fraudsters targeted areas with high-value property registrations.
Minister Orders Comprehensive Probe
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter. He directed officials to verify 52 lakh registrations completed over the last two years. This massive verification effort aims to uncover the full extent of the fraudulent activities.
An official committee investigating the fraud traced the manipulation to a specific software tool called 'Burp Suite'. Fraudsters allegedly used this tool to alter challan amounts and divert funds to other accounts. Investigators have identified involvement from some MeeSeva operators who apparently colluded with revenue officials.
Specific District Findings
In Yadadri district alone, authorities have flagged 1,367 suspicious transactions. At least 80 people are believed to be involved in this district's fraudulent activities. The committee is also examining the role of tahsildars, who hold responsibility for registering agricultural properties.
Tahsildars have a clear mandate to verify challan payments before completing registrations. A senior official explained the manipulation technique: "If an applicant had to pay Rs 1 lakh or Rs 2 lakh toward registration, operators edited the payment amount using the software. They removed two to three zeros in lakhs and processed the payment. Unfortunately, revenue officials, especially tahsildars and deputy tahsildars, failed to notice this manipulation in about 4,800 property registration cases."
Immediate System Changes Implemented
In response to these findings, the committee has taken decisive action. The committee includes Principal Secretary (Revenue) Lokesh Kumar, CCLA official Manda Makarandu, and representatives from the National Informatics Centre. NIC operates the Bhu Bharati portal used for registrations.
The committee has asked NIC to immediately remove the 'edit' option from the system. Sources indicate that under proposed changes, any attempt to edit registration fee amounts would automatically place transactions on 'hold'. This action would trigger alerts to officials, allowing them to verify payments before proceeding further.
Reviewing Portal Access Options
The government is also reviewing whether to continue the 'citizen' login option on the portal. Currently, citizens can log in using their mobile numbers to make payments. However, investigators found that MeeSeva operators allegedly used their own mobile numbers in many cases.
These operators collected cash from citizens and completed payments using their cards. The government is now considering fixing accountability on MeeSeva centre operators for financial fraud related to registration fee payments. This move aims to prevent similar fraud schemes in the future.
The comprehensive investigation continues as authorities work to identify all individuals involved in the fraudulent scheme. The revenue department remains determined to recover lost funds and strengthen systems against future manipulation attempts.
