Mohali property dealer booked for ₹30-lakh land fraud

The case was filed based on a complaint filed by Palwinder Singh, 55, a resident of Sector 79, Mohali

The IT City police have registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against a local property dealer, Samir Juneja, for allegedly duping a city resident of ₹30 lakh in a fraudulent land deal.

Police teams have launched a manhunt to trace and arrest him. (HT File)

Juneja, a resident of Phase-11, Mohali, is currently absconding. Police teams have launched a manhunt to trace and arrest him.

The case was filed based on a complaint filed by Palwinder Singh, 55, a resident of Sector 79, Mohali. As per the complaint, Singh entered into an agreement with Juneja for the purchase of half an acre of land in Nurpur Bet village, Ludhiana. The total value of the deal was fixed at ₹1.95 crore, for which Singh paid ₹30 lakh in advance— ₹15 lakh in cash and ₹15 lakh through RTGS.

An agreement was signed, and the land registration date was scheduled for November 30, 2023. However, Juneja failed to execute the registration. When Singh verified the ownership of the land, he discovered it was not registered in Juneja’s name.

To regain Singh’s trust, Juneja issued a cheque of ₹25 lakh, which later bounced. Singh then wrote to the tehsildar (west) in Ludhiana for official verification. The tehsildar’s reply confirmed that Juneja did not own any land in Nurpur Bet village.

It was revealed that Juneja had falsely represented someone else’s land as his own and fraudulently received money under a fake agreement.

Acting on Singh’s complaint, police have registered a case under Sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code at the IT City police station.

Police officials stated that investigations are ongoing and efforts are being made to apprehend the accused.