ALL land transactions in and around Bangalore city during the last two years are to be reviewed by the Karnataka state government, to check for fraudulent deals.
The attractive south Indian metropolis has seen real estate prices soar over the past year.
It is the hub of India's burgeoning computer industry, an termed The Garden City, because of its greenery.
The surge in values is thought to be supported by investors from Bombay, New Delhi, Calcutta and Hyderabad. Such buyers, who operate from long distance and do not intend to use the properties themselves, are unable to make frequent visits to Bangalore to check their property deeds.
Unscrupulous agents have taken advantage of their clients' remoteness, often selling the same plots or flats to more than one buyer, or selling property for which they have no clear title.
At Yellahanka, a fast-developing suburb of Bangalore, the sub-registrar's office has detected 210 fraudulent deals in the last six months.