Hyderabad: A large-scale scam involving the diversion of stamp duty and registration charges paid for agricultural land registrations has come to light in Telangana. Exploiting software loopholes and vulnerabilities in the payment process, several Mee Seva centre operators allegedly siphoned off nearly ₹42 crore that should have been credited to the government treasury. Officials said flaws in the Bhu Bharati portal enabled the fraud, which has reportedly been taking place since 2020, when agricultural land registrations were shifted from the Registration Department to tahsildars through the Dharani portal.
The scam surfaced following the detection of irregularities in Jangaon district, prompting an inquiry by the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA). The investigation revealed that out of around 52 lakh agricultural land transactions conducted across the state over the past six years—generating about ₹13,000 crore in stamp duty—discrepancies were found in nearly 4,300 to 4,800 transactions. Authorities said misuse of malware, absence of regular audits, and lack of technical checks to verify inputs provided by Mee Seva operators allowed fraudsters to divert funds. The highest number of fraudulent transactions were reported from Rangareddy and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts, with suspected involvement of some revenue officials.
According to officials, farmers paid registration charges based on market value through online centres, but only a fraction of the amount reached the treasury, while the rest was diverted. Police have identified an organised gang operating across multiple districts, including Jangaon and Yadadri, with key facilitators charging commissions per transaction. The Revenue Department has ordered a statewide audit, recovery of diverted funds, and strengthening of technical safeguards. Lokayukta Justice Rajasekhar Reddy has taken suo motu cognisance of the issue and directed the government to submit a report, while steps are underway to integrate the Registration Department’s systems with the Bhu Bharati portal to prevent future misuse.