The Bengaluru police are investigating an alleged attempt to encroach upon a police department property in Malleswaram, estimated to be worth around Rs 80 crore, after an electricity bill discrepancy brought the matter to light, officers said Thursday.

An FIR has been registered at the Malleswaram police station based on a complaint filed by Lokayukta Inspector M Kumar of Bengaluru South district. The police have booked M R Mahalakshmi, Krishnamurthy, Srinath Naragadde, and some officials from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) (Currently GBA but mentioned as BBMP in the FIR) and BESCOM. The case is currently under investigation.

According to the complaint, “the property in question is more than a century old and is officially recorded as police quarters in survey maps dating back to 1913”. At present, families of four inspectors and other police personnel are residing on the premises.

The issue surfaced when Inspector Kumar noticed that a recent electricity bill issued to his residence carried the name of a private individual, Mahalakshmi, instead of the police department. Suspecting foul play, he approached BESCOM, BBMP and the sub-registrar’s office for clarification.

During the inquiry, it was found that property records had been unlawfully transferred in Mahalakshmi’s name. Further investigation revealed that an e-khata had been fraudulently created in the BBMP records, and a sale agreement had been executed in favour of Krishnamurthy.

The complaint also states that on March 9, a group of individuals visited the police quarters and allegedly threatened the residents while claiming ownership of the land. “They warned the families to vacate immediately, threatened to throw their belongings out and even issued death threats if the occupants did not comply,” the officer said, citing the complaint.

The complainant has alleged that, despite being aware that the land belonged to the police department, the accused conspired with certain officials to illegally encroach upon the property without informing the department.

A case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including offences such as cheating, forgery, criminal intimidation, trespass, and criminal conspiracy. The police said further action will be taken based on the evidence gathered.