PRAYAGRAJ, July 12 -- The Prayagraj district administration has intensified its action against the financial network backing land mafias, with district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma constituting a special committee to identify people allegedly financing illegal land deals and profiting from farmers' distress sales.

The committee has been tasked with tracing the complete money trail behind land deals involving identified land mafias, including the source of funds used to acquire agricultural land and the flow of money generated through subsequent sales. Officials said the investigation aims to identify the alleged masterminds and financiers who operate behind the scenes and often evade scrutiny.

As part of the investigation, the district...