Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady
Beltangady, Aug 26: K Somanath Nayak and Ranjan Rao Erdoor have strongly refuted the recent allegations of land fraud levelled against them, stating that they are ready to return the money if the complainant no longer wants the property.
Recently, Shashidhar Achyutha Totantila (61), a resident of Kottara Chowki in Mangaluru, had filed a police complaint at the Beltangady police station against Somanath Nayak and Ranjan Rao Erdoor. He alleged that the accused had agreed to sell 0.98.75 acres of land for Rs 90 lac, but collected over Rs 1 crore from him without fully registering the land, which he later discovered was Kumki land embroiled in a legal dispute before the Karnataka Land Tribunal. Based on his complaint, the Beltangady police registered a case (Crime No. 91/2026) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
'No fraud committed, registration delayed due to surveyors' strike'
In a press statement issued from Guruvayanakere, Somanath Nayak and Ranjan Rao clarified that as per the agreement, landowner Ranjan Rao has already registered 28.50 cents of land, along with Kumki rights, in the complainant's name.
They explained that the registration for an additional 9.25 cents of land is pending solely because the required land sketch could not be prepared due to a prolonged strike by surveyors. Supporting this claim, an official Form 11E (Mutation Sketch Application) shows that the process for this 9.25 cents (0-9-25.00) in Survey No. 85/*/10 of Kuvettu village was initiated on December 3, 2025.
The duo asserted that they have not cheated Shashidhar or hidden any information from him. Regarding the legal dispute, they stated that they became aware of a suit in the land grabbing prohibition court only several days after the initial registration. They further noted that Kumki land does not fall under the jurisdiction of this court, pointing out that Shashidhar himself had made a statement to this effect before the Tahsildar.
'Ready to refund the amount'
Expressing disappointment over the sudden police complaint, the accused stated that they had provided all possible cooperation to Shashidhar, even handing over possession of the land to him prior to registration.
"He is a gentleman. We feel that he might have filed this complaint under someone else's instigation. If he does not want the land, let him inform us. We are completely ready to return his money so that he faces no financial loss," the press release stated. They also categorically denied committing any fraud in this or any other business transactions.
The press note ended by questioning the financial logic of the complainant, asking, "Shashidhar is a Chartered Accountant by profession. Why did he send extra money?".