Indian police record statement of farmer nine years after his death

The police's 'deliberate gaffe' was exposed after the farmer's death certificate was submitted.

In a puzzling incident, the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta's special police establishment managed to record the statement of a dead farmer in a land scam case. What is even more shocking is that police not only recorded the deceased farmer's statement, who died nine years ago, but also submitted it before a special court in Bhopal.
However, police's 'deliberate gaffe' was exposed after they also submitted the farmer's death certificate, according to The Times of India.
The counsel of the accused in the land scam case noticed the blunder and doubted the entire investigation. The case is related to around 800 acre of agricultural land owned by 141 farmers. The land is said to be allegedly auctioned without the consent of the farmers after they failed to repay loans from the Zilla Shahkari Krishi Aur Grameen Vikas Bank, Bhopal, and Bhoomi Vikas Bank, Huzoor. It is alleged that the agricultural land worth Rs1,600 crore was auctioned for only Rs1.5 crore.
After the Lokayukta police received a complaint in this regard, an FIR was registered on July 4, 2013, against several officials and people who purchased the land.
According to Lokayukta, the statement was of a farmer named Radheylal of Sagoni Kalan village under Huzur tehsil of Bhopal, recorded on April 20, 2013. However, the death certificate issued by Sagoni village panchayat revealed that Radheylal died on August 16, 2004.
Radheylal's statement apparently says, "I had taken a loan of Rs8,000 from the bank but couldn't repay it. Later, my 7.10-acre land was sold at a throwaway price by officials without even informing me."

• India