Ludhiana: Woman duped of ₹2L on pretext of plot allotment, three booked

According to the woman, the accused handed her a fake allotment letter with a fake signature of municipal corporation official

The Sahnewal police booked three accused for allegedly duping a woman of over ₹2 lakh on the pretext of helping her secure a plot, officials said.

In her complaint, the victim said she was looking for accommodation when she came in contact with the accused, who claimed to have links with the MC. (HT File)

According to the woman, Babli Devi of Dhandhari Kalan, the accused handed her a fake allotment letter with a fake signature of municipal corporation official.

After discovering that she had been duped, she filed a police complaint. After investigating the matter for a year and a half, police registered a first-information report (FIR) against Bansi Lal Premi from Makkar Colony, Dhandhari Kalan, his son Ravinder Kumar Premi and an imposter who introduced himself as junior engineer, identified as Vijay Kumar.

In her complaint, the victim said she was looking for accommodation when she came in contact with the accused, who claimed to have links with the MC. The accused claimed they could help her avail of a flat from MC and took ₹2.2 lakh cash in the name of officials. The accused gave her an allotment letter, which was found to be fake when she contacted the MC officers. Later, she filed a complaint to the police on June 23, 2023.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Mewa Singh, who is investigating the case, said an FIR was registered under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing someone to deliver property), 467 (forgery of valuable documents), 468 (forgery), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly uses a forged document or electronic record as genuine) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A hunt is on to arrest the accused, he added.