Registry showed ₹37 lakh, woman got ₹5 lakh:Tribal families allege massive land fraud near Jabalpur ring road project

A major land scam is allegedly unfolding in Jabalpur amid the construction of the country’s fourth-largest ring road project. Serious allegations have emerged from the Panagar, Patan and Bargi regions, where tribal and Kol community families claim they were cheated in land transactions linked to the high-value infrastructure project. According to the allegations, land originally allotted by the government to poor tribal families for livelihood and agricultural purposes is being acquired by land mafias at extremely low prices. Following the ring road project, land prices in these areas have surged to crores of rupees. Locals allege that innocent tribal landowners were lured with promises of large payments, but eventually received only a fraction of the amount mentioned in official registry documents. In some cases, victims claim they were not even aware that their land had been officially registered and transferred. Registry mentions ₹37 lakh, woman claims she received only ₹5 lakh Case 1: Kisso Bai According to documents accessed by Dainik Bhaskar, Kishana alias Kisso Bai, a resident of Manjhgawa, sold her 0.56-hectare land located near the ring road to Kiran Sahu, a resident of Suhagi. Government registry documents show that the deal was valued at ₹37 lakh and payment was allegedly made through RTGS via ICICI Bank. However, the woman claims she received only a very small amount — around ₹5 lakh — in reality. Documents further show that the amount was later used for purchasing another agricultural land parcel in Salhepani village of Kundam area. Tribal family alleges partial payment despite ₹33 lakh deal Case 2: Sandeep Kol’s family In another case, Sandeep Kol, Vandana Kol, Vitto Bai and Ranjit Kol from Manjhgawa allegedly sold their 0.474-hectare land to Ravi Kumar, a resident of Sihora, for ₹33.40 lakh. The registry documents show RTGS transactions through multiple banks, including: However, family members alleged that a significant portion of the money was withheld. Later, records showed that the family purchased land in Turka village of Kundam area. Allegations of illegal deals involving non-transferable government land Jabalpur resident Dev Prakash Dubey has raised serious allegations regarding the entire operation. He claimed that large portions of government and forest land exist around the proposed ring road corridor. These lands were allotted to tribal families strictly for farming and livelihood purposes. According to rules, such lands are categorized as non-transferable government land, meaning they cannot legally be sold or transferred to others. Dubey alleged that before selling the land to the Sahu family, Kisso Bai Kol had also entered into an agreement with him, but he later discovered that the land belonged to the government category. He further alleged that a large racket is active in acquiring land around the ring road project and named individuals such as Pappu Thakur and Dassi Sonkar in connection with the alleged network. Administration orders detailed probe After reports surfaced about land registries showing transactions worth lakhs and crores while landowners allegedly received only nominal amounts, the administration has initiated action. Jabalpur SDM Abhishek Singh said some registry documents indicate transactions involving lakhs of rupees, while the landowners are claiming they received only minimal payments. “The most serious issue is that the lands involved in these transactions are non-transferable government-allotted lands. This appears to be a major scam,” Singh said. He added that a detailed investigation would be conducted and that he would personally visit the sites to inspect the situation on the ground.