5 booked for duping Zirakpur man of ₹7.76 lakh over sale of plot

Despite taking money from the complainant, they first dilly dallied on registering plot in his name, then threatened him

Police have booked five persons for allegedly duping a 49-year-old man of ₹7.76 lakh on the pretext of selling him a plot in Morni village in Panchkula district.

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The complainant Surender Ahuja, a resident of Dhakoli in Zirakpur, told the police that the five accused —property dealer Parmod Bajaj, his wife Kavita Bajaj, Shubham Kukreja, Mamta Kukreja, all residents of Dhakoli and Sushil Kumar alias Pinta of Sector 21, Panchkula—duped him on the pretext of selling him land in Thapli village, Morni.

In his complaint, Ahuja said that in June 2016, Parmod and Sushil showed him a plot they wished to sell. They signed a sale agreement at ₹12 lakh and he deposited ₹1.90 lakh in Sushil’s account and gave Parmod ₹10,000 in cash. They gave him a copy of the agreement, saying they would execute a sale deed (registry) in his name after a year and would take the remaining amount from him in installments.

Later in August, when the accused approached Ahuja asking for more money citing an urgent need, he gave them ₹1.5 lakh, which was to be adjusted in the sale consideration. When they asked him for money again, Ahuja said he gave them ₹7.76 lakh in several transactions. However, when he asked the accused to execute the sale deed of the plot in his name, they dilly dallied on one pretext or the other.

The complainant has also accused them of taking money from another person for the same plot that they had signed a deal for with him. Ahuja also said the accused Kavita Bajaj took his copy of the sale agreement, assuring him she would get a new agreement made as the plot has been transferred in the name of Shubham Kukreja. But, she did not do as promised and even destroyed the old agreement, Ahuja said.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Maan Singh, investigating official in the case, said the complainant has alleged that the accused persons have also been booked in several other cases in Haryana and Punjab. It was further alleged that accused Parmod is a spokesperson of Indian National Lok Dal and threatened to use his influence against him.

The ASI said a case against all five persons has been registered under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at Chandimandir police station, Panchkula.