Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23: The state government constituted a three-member squad today to look into cases of officials taking possession of government land on the periphery of the city by forging documents.

Revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro said it had been found that officials, particularly those working in the land settlement department, have taken possession of government land by fraud. “We have asked the squad to submit a report within a month,” he said.

Officials said the fraudsters, after obtaining the land documents, transferred it in the name of private persons. After the latter took possession of the plot in nexus with the officials, the land was sold to builders at high prices. The fraudsters also kept some plots for themselves.

“The newly-constituted squad will mainly look into all land records of the city’s periphery areas, particularly Pathargadai, Shampur, Bhuasuni, Gothapatna, Ghatikika, Andharua, Shankarpur, Sunderpur, Ogalapada and Bhota,” said an official of the revenue department.

Earlier this year, the state crime branch had arrested former assistant consolidation officer Sridhar Mishra in a land-grabbing case. The CBI, too, had arrested one Subash Chandra Samantray, 52, for fraudulently occupying two acres of government land at Andharua in 2008.