INDORE: The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has formed a five-member committee comprised of senior officials and IT specialists to investigate the illegal transfer of 356 property tax accounts.
IMC Commissioner Kshitij Singhal stated that the committee includes two experts from the Computer Emergency Response Team of the Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation. The investigation is co-led by the IMC’s additional commissioners for Revenue and IT.
The formation of the panel follows complaints about unauthorized changes to property tax accounts, which were allegedly made using the login credentials of municipal officials who previously lacked essential security measures like One-Time Password (OTP) verification.
“After identifying this security flaw, IMC alerted state authorities, which led to the implementation of mandatory OTP-based logins for property tax account transfers across all municipalities in Madhya Pradesh,” Singhal told TOI.
He confirmed that all 356 illicit account transfers have been canceled, restoring property tax records to their rightful owners. Municipal staff suspected of involvement are currently under investigation.
Sources indicate that Zone 10 experienced the highest level of fraudulent activity, with 60 properties targeted. Additionally, about 50 individuals reportedly used these altered property tax accounts to register deeds with the Stamp and Registrar Department. IMC has provided the registrar’s office with a list of 356 properties, requesting the cancellation of all fraudulently registered deeds.
“Criminal charges and FIRs will be filed based on the committee’s final report,” the commissioner stated.
