Five Bengaluru sub-registrars suspended over property registration scam

Five Bengaluru sub‑registrars suspended after 1,332 illegal property registrations; Kaveri‑2 portal hacked to bypass e‑khata safeguards across multiple offices

Bengaluru’s property registration system has come under sharp scrutiny after the state government uncovered a large-scale fraud involving its e‑khata mechanism. Officials confirmed that five sub‑registrars have been suspended following the discovery of 1,332 illegal property registrations carried out between December 6, 2024, and December 5, 2025.

The Department of Stamps and Registrations ordered the suspension of Ravi Sankana Gouda, N Satish Kumar, Sridhar (first division assistant‑in‑charge sub‑registrar), Girish Chandra, and R Prabhavathi. Authorities allege the officials failed to ensure mandatory e‑khata details were imported from the e‑swathu software and allowed fraudulent sale deeds to be registered through the Kaveri 2.0 portal.

The e‑khata system, introduced as a safeguard against property fraud, has now been questioned after the scam surfaced. The Centre for Smart Governance (CSG), which provides technology solutions to government departments, lodged a complaint that triggered the investigation. Based on this, the North CEN police registered a cybercrime case under provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

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Investigators revealed that the Kaveri‑2 portal, which since 2024 has required a valid e‑khata for property registration, was manipulated. Miscreants allegedly accessed the Unified Land Management System (ULMS), which maintains land records from origin to conversion, and hacked the software to falsely project properties as having e‑khata under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department. These properties were then registered illegally.

The complaint further alleged that forged documents and bypassed safeguards enabled the fraudulent activity. This marks the second major case of property registration fraud since e‑khata was made mandatory in Bengaluru.

Sources indicated that several sub‑registrar offices with jurisdiction over gram panchayat properties were affected, with most illegal registrations traced to these offices. Technical analysis pointed to software bypasses in multiple locations, including Banaswadi, Ulsoor, and Varthur, raising concerns about systemic vulnerabilities in the city’s property registration framework.

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