Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): In a major crackdown on fraud and illegal encroachment, authorities in Gwalior freed nearly 9 acres of government land from land mafia, which belong to Kota's Ram Janaki Temple Trust on Sunday.

The encroacher, Manoharlal Bhalla, had illegally built a boundary wall and was preparing to sell plots of the ₹100-crore land, putting unsuspecting buyers at risk.

The joint operation by the district administration, municipal corporation, and police demolished illegal boundary walls and other structures on the land, valued at ₹100 crore.

According to information, the action followed an inspection by Collector Ruchika Chauhan on November 18. During her visit, she found unauthorised construction on the temple trust land. She ordered the removal of the encroachment and directed legal action against those responsible.

The land was being encroached upon by Manoharlal Bhalla, who had built a boundary wall and was allegedly preparing to sell the plots.

Led by SDM Lashkar Narendra Babu Yadav, the team cleared the encroachment, protecting the valuable land and preventing innocent buyers from falling victim to fraudulent transactions.

The operation was carried out under the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code Section 248, based on a report by Revenue Inspector Pradeep Mahakali and Patwari Iqbal Khan. Following legal proceedings in the Naib Tehsildar's court, orders were issued to remove the encroachments.

The team included Tehsildar Shivdutt Katare, Naib Tehsildar Dr. Ramashankar Singh, Municipal Corporation officer Shakeshav Singh Chauhan, Police Station In-charge Vipendra Singh Chauhan, and other revenue and municipal staff.