As part of the ongoing crackdown on land grabbers in the PM Palem area, the police arrested Pusapati Bangaru Venkata Narasimha Raju alias Sudheer Raju of Ayyappa Nagar in Kommadi on Thursday.

The accused was charged with forcibly occupying land belonging to P. Dwaraka Rani in Kommadi.

DCP (Law and Order) C.M. Trivikram Varma said that Ms. Dwaraka Rani, a scientist based in Delhi, had purchased 487 square yards of land from R. Sambasiva Rao in 1987.

In 2012, she got the site regularised from the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority after fulfilling the formalities.

In 2014, Sudheer Raju allegedly dismantled the boundary wall and a shed that was constructed by Ms. Dwaraka Rani and occupied the land.

Ms. Dwaraka Rani returned from Delhi on May 31 this year and lodged a complaint with the PM Palem police after visiting the site.

After investigation, the police found that Sudheer Raju had illegally occupied the site, said Madhurawada zone ACP Ravi Babu.

The police booked a case against Sudheer Raju and opened a rowdy sheet against him.

Mr. Ravi Babu said that instances of land grabbing were on the rise in the area. In all, 35 cases had been registered so far this year.

In 2014, 84 cases had been registered. In all, 7.5 acres of land was under illegal occupation in the area.