This is the first case of its kind in the state, in which a tehsildar allegedly acted as a conduit between the industrialist and the owners of the land at Borotiwala- Nalagarh area of Solan district. The tehsildar registered their wills and power of attorney in respect of 80 bigas of land in favour of the said industrialist.

A highly placed officer of the Enforcement Directorate told ENS the industrialist, who wanted to set up an industrial unit approached the tehsildar and through him the villagers, to give power of attorney and also the agreement of land vesting it in his favour through a will.

The industrialist is reported to have paid Rs 16 lakh to 34 villagers through the revenue officers and the tehsildar who willed their land to him in order to skirt the Land Tenancy Act through dubious means.

In this way, he has not only tried to circumvent the provisions of Land Tenancy Act under which no non- Himachali can purchase or get land willed in his favour but the state government has also suffered a loss by non- payment of stamp duty which comes to Rs 2 lakh.

The concerned tehsildar reportedly went to the villagers and registered the wills and the power of attorney of all the villages in a day, which raised many eyebrows.

When contacted, the ADG Enforcement said the department acted on secret information supplied to it and probed the matter. He said some arrests are likely to be made in this case.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has written to the Deputy Commissioners Solan, Kangra, Una, Shimla to keep it informed on all such cases where land had been willed or power of attorney given to persons outside the state by circumventing the act.

Informers of all such cases would be given 25 per cent share of the value of the property.