Four held after dead man found to have stood surety for bail

BENGALURU: Central Crime Branch (CCB) Sleuths arrested two men and as many women for allegedly running a racket in forging property documents and producing them as surety for at least 200 accused in heinous criminal cases to get bail.

J Madhukumar , 37, of Hesaraghatta, R Ratnamma, 46, and A Ramadevai alias Roopa, 40, residents of Pavagada in Tumakuru district and K Narasimhamurthy alias Basavakumar of Challakere in Chitradurga, were arrested after CCB police found a man who had provided surety to a murder accused to avail bail had actually died a few years earlier.

Investigations revealed the accused availed copies of property documents from the deputy commissioner's offices and later forged them. The quartet had produced the forged papers in courts in Bengaluru and nearby districts, police said. Prime accused Ratnamma would take help from others in availing revenue documents from the offices of DCs. "The accused ensured the documents that they laid their hands on belonged to illiterate people or those living in remote places," CCB police said.

'Officials, advocates may be involved'

A senior police officer said the four arrested were part of an organised gang that could involve advocates and officials from departments like revenue and gram panchayats.