Chandigarh, Dec. 24 -- Two employees of the UT estate office have been booked for allegedly tampering with a property file by removing it after office hours and replacing original documents, officials said on Tuesday. The accused have been identified as clerk Lalit Mohan and peon Lalit Kumar, both posted at the estate office. They have been booked under Section 61(2) (criminal intimidation), 238(B) (causing disappearance of evidence), 316(5) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating involving property delivery or valuable securities), 336(3) (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 340(2) (fraudulently or dishonestly using forged documents or electronic records as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A departmental action has also been initiated against both employees. The case relates to Property File No. M-21 (1055/42-B) of House No 1055 in Sector 42-B. During a routine verification of records, officials noticed discrepancies between the original file and scanned copies/printouts available in the records. A detailed comparison revealed that some original letters and documents in the file had been replaced with different documents, indicating deliberate tampering. Following the discovery, the deputy commissioner-cum-estate officer ordered a detailed inquiry and appointed assistant estate officer Naveen (DANICS) as the inquiry officer. The inquiry report, submitted on December 5, 2025, confirmed the allegations after examining closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage, official records, and statements of the staff concerned. CCTV footage from the evening of September 24 and the morning of September 25 showed both employees searching through files inside the office without authorisation. The footage also captured them taking a file out of the office after working hours and placing a file back at the same location the next morning. No other officer or employee was present in the office during that time. The inquiry report stated that such tampering could have exposed the estate office to serious legal complications, court cases, and significant financial losses to the government. Thus, they were booked and a departmental inquiry initiated against them....