Bhopal: The Special Task Force has started investigations into the alleged role of retired IAS officer M K Singh in connection with multi-crore land scam in Mhow. The probe into the role of Singh follows the lead given by one of the accused Mangilal Thakur, who has been taken on five-day remand by STF.
The Special Task Force had registered a case in connection with the multi-crore land scam in Mhow on August 11. Initially the involvement of an SDM and tehsildar has come to fore. The role of IAS officer M K Singh, who was recently given compulsory retirement, has also come under the scanner of the STF.
The STF had arrested Salomon Smith, the main accused from Jaipur on August 18. He had set up a fake organisation – Indian Canadian Press Britainrian Mission. In the year 1997, he in cahoots with revenue department officials managed to grab 9.5 hectare of land situated in village Rasalpura of Mhow. The land allocated to the Church for religious work, in the year 1926, when some pastors had come from Canada. The cost of land is not less than Rs 50 crore.
When the land was transferred to Solomon, the IAS officer M K Singh was posted in Indore district. This had made the STF to investigate the role of the retired official. No case has been registered against the official till date. Solomon had been living in Indore for years, but had escaped to Jaipur when the scam was exposed. STF had arrested him from Jaipur.
Rags to riches proverb fits on Solomon, he worked as a cleaner in railways at Jaipur but later shifted to Indore. During the investigations, the STF seized the documents from one of the accused Mangilal Thakur. On the basis of the documents found from mantralaya, involvement of an SDM and tehsildar had come to fore. The STF is going to issue notices shortly to the officials and file their statements.
The murder of an advocate Yogesh Garg in 2015 had brought to fore the multi-crore land scam. A notorious criminal Mangilal Thakur was arrested for the killing. Solomon has sold some part of the land to Mangilal Thakur, who had later sold it to a builder.
Advocate Garg has sent a legal notice to Mangilal, which made him furious and he killed him. Police had arrested Mangilal and sent him to Indore jail. STF had taken him on the remand till October 28.
