Woman submits fake property docs to help thief get bail

Fraud comes to light when the original owner tried to obtain loan by pledging her property

Praveen Kumar | NT

Bengaluru: Do you think your property will be safe in Bangalore? If so, think twice. A 29-year-old woman has produced property documents of another woman who has a similar name to bail out a habitual thief who was in judicial custody.

More shocking is the fact that the names of the husbands of both the women are also the same. Even the judiciary was shocked with the brilliance of the woman for her plot.

The incident came to light after the original property owner approached the revenue department to obtain the RTC document (Record of rights, Tenancy and Crops) of her property to obtain an educational loan for her son, who is pursuing MBBS.

In the land records, it showed that the said property has been given as surety to obtain bail from a city based court on Nrupathunga Road. Shocked over this, the original owner approached the court and found that a 29-year-old woman who has the same name as hers and her husband’s had submitted the property document and had bailed out the accused on September 4, 2021.

Based on the petition by the original owner on December 4, 2021, the Sheristadar of the said court has filed a criminal complaint against the accused woman for cheating the court by submitting fake property documents to help a habitual offender get bail. The name of the woman accused has been identified as Sujatha, 29, wife of Srinivasa Reddy residing in 4th main in R.R. Nagar. The original owner of the property is also Sujatha, 50, wife of Srinivasa Reddy residing in NGR Layout in Bommanahalli. The said property is 35 guntas in Uttarahalli in Bengaluru South.

The property documents were submitted as surety for the bail of Kantharaju, who was in judicial custody. He was arrested for committing a theft at the residence of a scientist in National Aerospace Laboratories.

The scientist’s wife had died of COVID in May 2021. The scientist who was also COVID positive had quarantined at a different place by locking his house. In the absence of the inmates, Kantharaju had committed the theft, but was arrested within a few days by the R.R. Nagar police.

N Jagadeesha, the Sheristadar of one of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) courts on Nrupathunga Road has filed a complaint in this regard in the Halasurgate police station on December 7.

“As per the procedure, the court sends the records to the concerned Tahsildar to mention that the said property is kept as surety. The name of the owner gets mentioned again once the case is closed. After the original owner approached the court, the Tahsildar was asked again to ascertain the actual owner and to submit a report. Based on the Tahsildar’s report, the court will take a decision. Meanwhile a criminal complaint has been registered against the accused woman for submitting fake surety,” said an officer on part of investigations.

The Halasurugate police have registered a case and are on the lookout for Sujatha and Kantharaju.