Siraha, July 18:

Teaming up with government officials, some individuals have registered more than 11 katthas of land belonging to Laxmi Narayanji Guthi in Asanpur-9 of Siraha in their names.

Chief of the Lahan-based Land Revenue Office Madan Kumar Jha and kharidar Dhak Bahadur Karki were involved in getting the guthi’s land worth around Rs 20 million registered in the individuals’ names, a source said.

The ownership of the land, registered in the name of priest Shyam Sundar Das first, was transferred in the name of three persons, the source said.

The source said three kattha and 15 dhur of land was registered illegally in the name of Sajan Kumari Lama, one kattha in the name of Ram Udgar Shah and six kattha and 7 dhur in the name of Shiv Kumar Shah in April.

“Some persons, by faking my signature and using official letter pad, transferred the ownership of guthi’s land in the name of individuals,” secretary of Asanpur VDC Kul Bahadur Basnet said.

According to the law, a VDC office shall recommend the transfer of the ownership of land to its rightful owner after the death of the land-owner.

Such land can be transferred only after gathering clinching evidence. The recommendation for the transfer of the ownership of land was made on January 20 with the false letter pad and stamp of the VDC and fake signature of the VDC secretary, while the version of witnesses was collected on March 19.

According to Das, some persons took him to the land revenue office luring to register the guthi’s land in his name.

“Taking advantage of my poor eyesight, they asked me to sign in the documents.”

“Later, I came to know that the land was registered in their names,” he added.

According to locals, Das has been working as priest in the temple built in the guthi’s land for 30 years.

The revenue office chief said he signed in the registration letter of the land after Karki okayed the documents.

Conceding that the land was transferred producing fake documents, Jha said a letter has been sent to the authority concerned to get the land ownership cancelled.