MEERUT, July 3 -- Former executive officer (EO) of the Sambhal Municipal Council, Rajkumar Gupta, was arrested on Thursday for his alleged role in facilitating the encroachment and fraudulent mutation of gram sabha land worth nearly Rs.101 crore, police said. Gupta, who is currently posted as assistant municipal commissioner in the Shahjahanpur Municipal Corporation, was arrested from Shahjahanpur and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody, Sambhal superintendent of police (SP) Krishan Kumar Bishnoi and circle officer (CO) Kuldeep Kumar said at a press conference. According to police, the case relates to nearly 38 bighas of gram sabha land along Moradabad Road in Takht Gosai village under the Hayatnagar police station area. The disputed land comprises Gata numbers 206, 207, 238, 242/378 and 279. The probe gathered pace after the district magistrate and senior police officials jointly inspected the site. A fresh survey and scrutiny of revenue records allegedly revealed that the government land had been fraudulently mutated and encroached upon. Police said the fraud dates back to 2008, when the deputy director of consolidation allegedly approved the mutation of the land in the name of a fictitious person on the basis of forged lease (patta) documents. Investigators said the municipality had neither ownership nor legal authority over the land, yet the mutation was approved. The municipal body had challenged the order before the high court. According to police, despite the pending litigation, Gupta, then executive officer, played an active role in facilitating the fraudulent mutation to confer illegal financial benefits, resulting in a loss of government property valued at nearly Rs.101 crore. htc...