Operation Agazhi: 500 kg locker full of land documents stuns police

TIRUCHY: Even the team members of ‘Operation Agazhi’, a drive against land grabbers by Tiruchy police, were stunned as they found a 500 kg locker full of land documents worth several crores of rupees during a raid at the house of an accused at Ariyamangalam on Thursday night.

Sources said that following large complaints of land grabbing, Tiruchy SP V Varun Kumar launched Operation Agazhi some weeks ago to crack down on land grabbers. Documents worth several crores were seized and returned to the owners during the drive in the past.

On Thursday, the SP ordered to search of the house of one Mohan Patel, a resident of Ariyamangalam, against whom several complaints were received recently.

However, a big drama ensued for two days. On Wednesday, a team of police went to the house of Mohan Patel with a search warrant, but the inmates refused to allow the team inside. The police waited in front of the house for 12 hours and left the spot.

Again on Thursday afternoon, a team, headed by DSP Palani, armed with court order went to the house, but the inmates bolted the doors and refused to open. Following this, the police called VAO Balambika to spot and forcibly entered the house by breaking open the lock.

Once inside the house, the cops had the shock of their life as they found a locker weighing around 500 kg full of documents worth several crores of rupees.

When the police sought the signature of Poornima Patel, daughter of Mohan Patel, to open the locker, she reportedly refused. So, the police lifted the locker with the support of a crane after sealing it in the presence of the VAO in the wee hours of Friday and took it away.

Later, the locker was opened in the presence of the magistrate and several documents were recovered from it.