In a sweeping crackdown led by the State Economic Offences Investigation Agency and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SEOIACB), a massive land compensation scam linked to the Vishakhapatnam Economic Corridor has come to light, exposing what investigators term ‘systematic betrayal of state trust.’ In coordinated operations across Raipur, Durg, Mahasamund and Bilaspur, SEOIACB sleuths raided 20 premises on Friday, uncovering layers of forged records, duplicate compensation files, and land fraud mechanisms estimated to have caused over Rs 48 crore loss to the State exchequer.

 

The case, formally registered under FIR No. 30/2025, is rooted in deliberate abuse of official authority and criminal conspiracy allegedly involving then Sub-Divisional Officer Nirbhay Kumar Sahu along with Government patwaris, tehsildars, contractors and private beneficiaries who manipulated ownership records and khata entries to claim inflated land acquisition compensation under the Bharatmala project. Among those named are Nirbhay Kumar Sahu, Jitendra Kumar Sahu, Dinesh Patel, Yogesh Kumar Dewangan, Shashikant Kurre, Lekhram Dewangan, Lakheshwar Prasad Kiran, Basanti Ghritlahare, Roshan Lal Verma, Harmeet Singh Khanuja, Uma Tiwari, Vijay Jain, Dashmesh Intraventure Pvt Ltd, Hriday Lal Gillhare and Vinay Kumar Gandhi.

 

Together, they allegedly orchestrated the re-registration of state-acquired land under private names, secured fraudulent payouts, and misused khasra data to break single parcels into multiple fictitious sub-plots. According to the SEOIACB, in at least five villages, duplicate land ownership claims were fabricated, including one instance where a single parcel was falsely shown under six names.

 

Further, fake withdrawals were reportedly made in the name of Uma Tiwari, while compensation due to genuine owners was diverted to third-party proxies. Searches yielded a trove of incriminating materials — land acquisition documents, mobiles, hard drives, property records and account statements. Preliminary forensic analysis suggests a direct financial damage of Rs 48,03,18,506 to the treasury. The agency believes the eventual loss figure may rise once land records of remaining affected villages are assessed. A senior SEOIACB officer said, “What we’re seeing is institutional manipulation of land laws, with bureaucratic complicity. This wasn’t oversight — this was deliberate.” Arrests are expected soon, with multiple government employees now under internal review for suspension. The SEOIACB has confirmed that follow-up notices will be issued to banks, land registrars and digital record custodians in the coming week.