Hanuman Junction police have intensified the investigation into the controversial fake house patta case involving politician Vallabhaneni Vamsi. The police re-examined the matter and secured a Production to Trial (PT) warrant against Vamsi from the Second Additional Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Nuzvidu, Eluru district, on Thursday evening.
Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Prasanna, representing the police, asserted that Vamsi distributed counterfeit house pattas across multiple villages in the Gannavaram constituency during the 2019 elections, allegedly to secure electoral advantage. He emphasized that there is concrete evidence to substantiate these claims. According to the APP, Vamsi exploited his influence during the previous government to remove his name from the case, raising concerns that warrant a more in-depth investigation.
During court proceedings, APP Prasanna highlighted statements from individuals who received the fake pattas, as well as confirmation from both the former and current Tahsildars that these pattas were not legitimately issued by the Revenue Department. Based on this evidence, the APP requested the court to approve the PT warrant.
Opposing this, Vamsi’s lawyer, Devi Satyasri, argued that the warrant was issued hastily and without proper notice, especially given that the verdict on Vamsi’s bail petition in the unrelated TDP office attack case was due on Friday at the Vijayawada court. Satyasri maintained that Vamsi was previously cleared of involvement in the fake patta case and that his name was unjustly reinstated at this stage of the trial. Despite these objections, Magistrate Sravani allowed the PT warrant and ordered that Vamsi be produced before the court by May 19.
Currently, Vamsi remains in remand at Vijayawada jail in connection with the TDP office attack case. Should the court reject his bail petition, and the Nuzvidu Magistrate Court decide to remand him in the fake patta case, it is unlikely that Vamsi will be released in the near future.
The case dates back to October 18, 2019, when an FIR was initially filed against nine individuals, including Vamsi, at the Hanuman Junction Police Station for allegedly distributing fake house pattas in Perikeedu and Koyyuru villages of Bapulapadu mandal. The case remained under wraps until Yarlagadda Venkat Rao, the current MLA, brought it to the Election Commission’s attention following a change in government. A secret two-month investigation by the Revenue and Police departments followed.
Based on the final report submitted by the then Tahsildar Narasimha Rao, Vamsi was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including fraud, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The investigation revealed that the Tahsildar had forged fax mails and official seals to distribute fake pattas. However, when Vamsi switched allegiance from the TDP to the YSR Congress Party, the case was shelved, and his name, along with those of his key associates, was removed from the list of accused as a charge sheet was filed.
With the current government’s renewed focus, the police reopened the case and reinstated Vamsi’s name after uncovering new evidence, intensifying the legal proceedings.
