New York: Five persons connected with the construction business, including two persons of Indian origin, have been arrested here on charges of submitting hundreds of false documents for 24 buildings, officials said.

New York and its suburbs are experiencing the biggest construction boom in three decade and the arrests come in the wake of reports documenting alleged violations published by New York Daily News.

Satroghaun (Ravi) Singh, owner of RS Construction and Expediting Services in Richmond Hill, has been charged with forging signature and seal of an engineer on 286 documents and could face up to seven years in prison if convicted. The Building Department also closed his project after it was found that multiple violations were allegedly found. Also arrested were Moheshwar Chandarpal, Hansa Persaud and Dong Whang, and Robert Mardca.

The Daily News quoted District Attorney Richard Brown as saying that Chandarpal, 29, drafted at least 100 construction plans and inspection certifications for houses to which Persaud, 51, would later affix his seal and signature without review.

In one instance, Chandarpal admitted to inspectors that he had checked the foundation of a house - something he is not supposed to do because he is not a licensed engineer, prosecutors said.

The Daily News said authorities dug excavation pits in the two-storey home and found there were no footings supporting the rear extension. They also discovered a chimney that had been added to the house without Buildings Department approval. Whang, 67, was accused of taking $1,100 in bribes from undercover agents to sign off on documents riddled with "glaring errors."