Eight members of a gang that allegedly created fabricated documents to sell open plots in Rampally and surrounding areas were arrested during a joint operation by the Special Operations Team (SOT) of Bhongir and Keesara police. The gang identified vacant lands and forged ownership papers to carry out fraudulent sales, with the total value of the targeted properties estimated at ₹5 crore.The arrested individuals were identified as Beegudem Aravind alias Tillu, 30, a bike mechanic; Sampangi Suresh alias Pavan, 32; Eega Hari Prasad, 38; Chekkala Somnath alias Somaiah, 51, all real estate businessmen; Kotla Nagendra Prasad alias Raghunath Reddy alias Raghu, 45, a lender; Mir Mohammed Hussain alias Rajkumar, 32, a graphic designer; Yamjala Shekar, 32, graphic designer and Veramachineni Vanaja, 40, a private employee. At least 10 other accused, including Amarender, Manik, Ahmed and Musku Sunil Kumar, remain at large.During the operation, police seized laptops, printers, scanners, forged property documents, fake certificates, identity proofs, mobile phones, a four-wheeler and equipment used to manufacture counterfeit papers and stamps.Seized documents | Photo Credit: By ArrangementInvestigations revealed that the prime accused Aravind, Suresh and Hari Prasad, all residents of Rampally village in Keesara, conspired to identify vacant plots whose owners were elderly or living away from the city. They then roped in others, including Nagendra Prasad and Mohammed Hussain, to create fake sale deeds, legal heir certificates and even death certificates of original owners. These documents were used to impersonate rightful heirs and execute fraudulent transactions.In one case, the gang allegedly created fake death certificates of a plot owner and his wife, along with fabricated legal heir papers, enabling Vanaja to impersonate the heir and execute a sale deed. In another, they produced forged sale deeds and identity proofs to claim property despite an ongoing civil case. The accused also allegedly faked a passport and power of attorney in the name of an ex-serviceman to facilitate an illegal sale.The police said while Nagendra Prasad and Hariprasad were found to be involved in at least four criminal cases each, Somnath was named in three cases since 2016. The Rachakonda police have urged the public to verify the authenticity of non-judicial stamp papers and property documents through authorised vendors, government offices, or the official SHCIL e-stamping website.Published - August 28, 2025 08:30 pm IST