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Ludhiana: Retired patwari among 3 arrested for land ‘fraud’, realtor at large
According to deputy superintendent of police (Dakha), Varinder Singh Khosa, the accused allegedly prepared fake property ownership records with the connivance of the retired patwari
A retired patwari and two others have been arrested in connection with a land fraud case, the Ludhiana (Rural) police said on Monday. The accused are said to have forged property records to illegally transfer ownership of land in their favour.
The case came to light following a complaint lodged by Jatin Jain, a resident of Guru Nanak Colony, Sangrur. Acting on his statement, the Dakha police registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The arrested accused have been identified as retired patwari Satinderpal Singh of Lalton Khurd village, Mukhtiar Singh and Sant Singh, a resident of Detwal village. Their aides Gurdev Singh, Banta Singh and Inderjit Singh, director of Dream Land Project, are yet to be arrested.
According to deputy superintendent of police (Dakha), Varinder Singh Khosa, the accused allegedly prepared fake property ownership records with the connivance of the retired patwari. Using these forged documents, they allegedly got the land transferred in the name of the accused through a fraudulent registration process.
After a detailed investigation, police registered an FIR under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property), 466 (forging any document that purports to be a record of a court of justice or a public register), 467 (forgery of documents considered to be of high value), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (fraudulent or dishonest use of a forged document or electronic record as if it were genuine) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Dakha police station. Retired patwari Satinderpal Singh, Mukhtiar Singh and Sant Singh have been arrested, while efforts are on to nab the remaining accused.
DSP Khosa said the fraud was executed through fake entries and manipulated land records, causing serious loss to the complainant. “Further investigation is underway to identify others involved in the racket,” he added.
