Eight arrested in Jakkepalli for ₹15 crore land scam

Hyderabad: Police arrested eight men on Tuesday in Jakkepalli village, Kusumanchi mandal, for running a ₹15 crore land scam by falsely promising passbooks for assigned and disputed lands.

A local Congress leader allegedly led the group. Police said the accused posed as agents with links to top revenue officials. They collected ₹5 lakh per acre from farmers across several districts, promising pattadar passbooks.

One farmer said he paid ₹13 lakh in phases after the leader claimed access to senior CCLA officers. When the promised passbooks didn’t arrive, villagers filed a complaint with Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.

Acting swiftly on the minister’s orders, ACP Tirupati Reddy launched a crackdown. Kusumanchi CI Sanjeev and SI Nagaraju picked up all eight accused. Police said detailed statements will be released after questioning.