Fake documents, court orders used to grab ₹25,000-crore forest land: Mudigere Police arrest M.B. Nemanna Gowda

Man arrested for allegedly creating forged records and securing court orders to illegally claim over 512 acres of reserved forest land in Bengaluru and Chikkamagaluru districts.

Mudigere police have arrested a man accused of attempting to illegally grab large tracts of forest land by allegedly creating fake documents and obtaining favourable court orders. The arrested person has been identified as M.B. Nemanna Gowda alias M.B. Manmath, officials said .

According to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, the arrest follows complaints filed by the Forest Department and the Mudigere Tahsildar. On November 28, the Assistant Conservator of Forests lodged a complaint at the Mudigere Police Station, citing attempts to illegally claim forest land using forged records. Subsequently, the Mudigere Tahsildar also filed a separate complaint based on official findings.

Based on these complaints, police registered an FIR on December 13 under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, and arrested Nemanna Gowda.

Also Read:Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre seeks CID probe into ₹25,000-crore BM Kaval Forest land grab case

Investigations revealed that the accused had allegedly secured a favourable order from the Karnataka High Court to claim 512 acres of reserved forest land in the B.M. Kaval forest area near Kengeri in Bengaluru. He had also submitted applications before the Sub-Divisional Officer’s court in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, seeking transfer of forest land into his name.

However, officials detected serious discrepancies during scrutiny. Forged maps, fabricated court orders, and other fake documents submitted by the accused raised red flags, prompting the Sub-Divisional Officer to direct the Tahsildar to file a police complaint.

Further investigation uncovered that Nemanna Gowda is involved in 11 cases and has filed claims asserting ownership of nearly 20,000 acres of forest land, seeking transfer into his name.

Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre stated that land involved in the alleged grab, including 532 acres of reserved forest land at B.M. Kaval, is valued at over ₹25,000 crore. He also revealed that Nemanna Gowda had filed a writ petition claiming rights over 482 acres under the Inams Abolition Act, and secured court directions to transfer a total of 532 acres to his name within three months.

Also Read:517 acres of Bengaluru reserved forest at risk after HC order entering private owner’s name in records

Alarmingly, the State Government and Forest Department were not informed during the High Court proceedings. The matter came to light only after the 90-day appeal period had lapsed, Khandre said in a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Following this revelation, the Forest Department has initiated steps to file appeals. The minister also expressed suspicion over the delay in registering the FIR, noting that despite receiving the complaint on November 28, police action was not taken immediately.

Khandre has urged a CID or SIT probe, alleging possible involvement of certain officials and government advocates who may have directly or indirectly assisted large-scale forest land encroachment attempts.