Sri Vijaya Puram, November 12: Allegations of fraudulent e-stamp papers being used in land transactions have brought the property registration system in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under scrutiny, raising questions about how stamp duty payments are verified and whether existing safeguards are sufficient to prevent document manipulation.
The case came to light following a complaint concerning a land transaction worth more than ₹1.61 crore in Dollygunj. According to the complaint, an e-stamp or e-bond used for the registration was suspected to be fraudulent, prompting a police investigation into its authenticity, procurement and use. The matter was reported earlier by The Wave Andaman on October 14.
The complaint alleged that ₹6.47 lakh had been paid to a person identified as Prabhu for arranging the e-bond, with an additional ₹25,000 paid as commission. The complainant sought an investigation into the document and the transactions connected with its procurement.
The latest account circulating in connection with the case names Apurva Biswas, Prabhu and Srinivasan among those reportedly arrested. Srinivasan is described as a head clerk associated with the Deputy Commissioner’s office and the Sub-Registrar’s office. The reported arrests and the individuals’ precise roles require confirmation from the police.
Value Manipulation
The allegations centre on the purported alteration of stamp paper values using digital editing software. According to the account, documents originally issued for lower amounts were allegedly modified to display substantially higher values before being used in property transactions.
If established, such manipulation could create discrepancies between the stamp duty actually paid and the amount represented on documents submitted for registration, potentially causing financial losses to the government and exposing parties to legal disputes.
The complaint in the Dollygunj transaction specifically sought verification of the e-bond’s authenticity and the payment details associated with its issuance. It also called for scrutiny of the process through which the document was obtained and accepted for registration.
QR Verification
A central issue raised in the latest account is whether QR codes on the disputed documents were properly checked before the land transactions were registered.
Digital verification can help establish whether a document corresponds to an authentic record and whether its details match those maintained by the issuing authority. The allegations raise questions about whether the relevant verification procedures were followed and whether discrepancies in stamp duty values were detected.
The Sub-Registrar’s office is an important checkpoint in property transactions, where the authenticity and compliance of submitted documents must be assessed under applicable procedures. Establishing how the disputed documents passed through the registration process will be crucial to determining whether the alleged fraud involved document manipulation alone or failures at other stages.
The latest account also names Srinivasan in connection with the verification process. His specific responsibilities, the nature of his alleged involvement and whether any procedural lapses occurred will be examined as part of the investigation.
Earlier allegations in the case referred to a bank employee, Kalavati, and her son, David, in connection with the alleged procurement and manipulation of stamp papers. Their respective roles, along with the links between the individuals named in the various accounts, remain part of the investigation.
Buyers’ Concerns
The case has raised concerns among people who have purchased land or completed property registrations in the islands. For many families, buying land represents years of savings, making the authenticity of registration documents and proof of statutory payments particularly important.
Buyers concerned about their documents should verify their e-stamp or e-bond details through the authorised issuing channel and retain the original certificate, transaction receipts and registration papers. Any discrepancy should be referred to the competent revenue or registration authority for examination.
The validity of individual property transactions will depend on the documents, applicable legal provisions and findings of the competent authorities. A registration should not be assumed to be invalid solely because another transaction or document has been questioned.
Investigation Ahead
The investigation is expected to examine the disputed documents, payments associated with their procurement and the circumstances in which they were used for land registration. The extent of any financial loss, the number of transactions potentially affected and the responsibilities of the individuals involved remain key questions.
For the islands, the issue extends beyond a single land deal. Effective verification of stamp duty payments is essential to protecting public revenue and ensuring that people can complete property transactions with confidence. Establishing how the disputed documents were processed will be critical to identifying gaps in the system and strengthening safeguards against similar fraud.
