The Dharani land scam investigation widened on Monday as the Telangana Crime Investigation Department deployed 15 special teams to conduct coordinated searches across seven districts, examining alleged manipulation of land records on the state’s Dharani portal. The CID has not officially confirmed the consolidated number of arrests reported in connection with the raids.
Deccan Chronicle reported that around 15 people were allegedly arrested, including portal developers, data-entry operators, document writers and personnel associated with private service centres. The report attributed the arrest information to sources, while noting that investigators were still relying on digital forensic audits to establish the details.
The searches are focused on alleged changes to land ownership records, survey numbers and restricted properties. These records are central to determining who can claim, transfer or transact land, making unauthorised changes to a digital land system a matter with consequences for property owners, buyers and the revenue administration.
According to the report, CID teams are examining portal login records, suspected unauthorised data modifications and transaction histories. The digital audit is intended to trace how access to the system was obtained and whether changes were made through compromised credentials, unauthorised access or assistance from individuals with operational access.
The investigation is also examining the possible involvement of private technology contractors and personnel in the revenue department. The supplied report does not establish whether any departmental employee or contractor has been formally charged, nor does it provide details of the specific land parcels or districts involved beyond stating that the searches took place across seven districts.
The reported involvement of portal developers, data-entry operators, document writers and private service-centre personnel points to the range of intermediaries who may interact with land-record systems. However, the allegations against those categories of people remain subject to the CID investigation, and the report does not provide findings from a completed forensic audit or a court determination.
The Dharani portal was designed to digitise land records and related transactions in Telangana. In this case, the investigation is examining whether the digital system was manipulated to alter ownership information, survey details or the status of restricted properties. The report does not state the total number of records affected, the value of land involved, or whether any disputed transactions have been cancelled or restored.
The uncertainty over the arrest count is significant. While the report describes around 15 arrests, it also states that the CID is yet to issue official confirmation of the consolidated figure. The final number of arrests, the identity and roles of those detained, the offences invoked and the next procedural steps therefore remain to be established through an official investigation update.
The CID’s immediate focus, according to the report, is on examining system records and digital footprints. Investigators are using those records to determine how alleged unauthorised access occurred and whether insiders facilitated the suspected fraud. No final findings from that examination were included in the supplied material.
