Ludhiana industrialist arrested for breach of trust in land deal case, kin at large
The FIR, registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Chamkaur Singh, a resident of Baba Nand Singh Nagar, states that a land agreement made in 2011 became the basis of a prolonged dispute.
The Sarabha Nagar police arrested an industrialist, Surinder Singh Ryait, who is also the president of Guru Nanak Public School’s (Sarabha Nagar) managing committee, in connection with a fraud case. He was produced before a court that sent him on judicial remand. The police have also booked his brother Jasbir Singh Ryait, who is also an industrialist. The family runs an educational trust.
The FIR, registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Chamkaur Singh, a resident of Baba Nand Singh Nagar, states that a land agreement made in 2011 became the basis of a prolonged dispute. Singh alleged Jasbir Singh Ryait of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar had obtained a resolution from the management of Guru Nanak Public School, Ayali Kalan Trust, to facilitate the sale of 7.5 acres of school land to him. According to the complainant, he paid money ( ₹1.88 crore) and transferred three properties — one acre in Dehlon, a 6,500-square-yard property in Jaspal Bangar, and a 1,240-square-yard plot in Dattwal—as consideration for the land.
Singh stated that after receiving all the properties, Ryait and his associates failed to transfer the promised 7.5 acres to him, forcing him to lodge an FIR in March 2022 under Sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The FIR was withdrawn in August 2022 after a compromise was brokered by local mediators under which all properties were to be returned to Singh. He submitted a statement before the court based on this settlement, leading to the cancellation of the FIR.
However, Singh alleged that several individuals, including Jasbir Singh Ryait and his brother Surinder Singh Ryait, failed to honour the terms of the compromise. He further claimed that despite acknowledging the receipt of ₹1.88 crore, they did not return the money or the land. He accused them of breaching his trust a second time.
According to the FIR, the matter was subsequently examined by the additional deputy commissioner of police (zone 3), who confirmed that the original agreement for the 7.5-acre parcel had indeed been executed and that the complainant had already transferred substantial property holdings as part of the deal. The inquiry report noted that Ryait did not transfer the land in question and that, although a compromise had been reached, the accused failed to fulfil their commitments.
Sub-inspector Aditya Sharma, station house officer (SHO) at the Sarabha Nagar police station, confirmed the arrest. Earlier the FIR under Section 420 of the IPC was registered against Jasbir Singh Ryait. Now, a fresh FIR has been registered against the accused on October 26. After investigation, the police booked Surinder Singh Ryait and arrested him. A hunt is on for the arrest of the rest of the accused.
The case
- Complainant says a pact was struck in 2011 under which accused had to sell 7.5 acres of land to him in exchange of money and three properties.
- Complainant facilitated the land transfer and paid ₹1.88 crore as part of the deal but didn’t get the land in return so he filed an FIR.
- Later, a compromise was reached under which the properties were to be returned, but that didn’t happen, leading to the arrest, say police.
