Adilabad district police have arrested a man for illegally claiming and selling forest land as residential plots.
At a press briefing at Mavala Police Station, DSP L Jeevan Reddy explained that the arrest followed a complaint from Shobha Murarka, widow of Nandakishore Murarka. Police apprehended Vakulabharanam Adinath, while his wife, Vakulabharanam Rajini, is on the run.
Back in 2010, Adinath falsely declared ownership of forest land near Khanapur and sold four plots (Nos. 57, 58, 59, and 60) to the complainant for Rs 3.3 lakh. In 2022, forest officials reclaimed these plots, confirming their status as forest land. When confronted, Adinath dismissively told the complainant to go to court and threatened her against spreading the word.
Adinath has been presented before a magistrate and is now in a 14-day judicial remand. Authorities, including both revenue and forest departments, confirmed the land as forest property.
The DSP stressed that Adilabad police are cracking down on land grabbers. He warned that those involved in forgery and deceiving the public will face strict penalties.
