Khori: 16 booked for illegal plot sales; on the run, say cops

The Faridabad Police registered 25 cases against 16 property dealers for illegally selling plots on government land and defrauding Khori residents over the last 20 years. However, no arrest has been made so far. The police are investigating the complaints and requested more villagers to give their accounts of the plot purchase. All suspects have been identified but are on the run, the police said

The Faridabad police registered 25 cases against 16 property dealers for illegally selling plots on government land and defrauding Khori residents over the past 20 years. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Over 10,000 houses are located in Khori village. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The police are investigating the complaints and requested more villagers to give their accounts of the plot purchase. All suspects have been identified but are on the run, the police said.

According to the police, as many as 10,000 families were duped and were clueless that the plot they purchased was owned by the government and that they were undertaking construction illegally.

OP Singh, the commissioner of police, Faridabad, said one of the suspects, identified as Rajdeep, whose name is mentioned in most of the cases, died a few years ago and was involved in selling most of the plots. He was a native of Anangpur in Faridabad.

Singh said property dealers were using the fake power of attorneys to sell plots. “The victims here are mostly poor and the plots were sold to them at cheap prices, in easy instalments, and at a lower rates of interest. They bought the plot and got their ration cards and voter ID cards made on these addresses with the help of suspects who developed this area,” he said.

According to the police, the suspects are mostly from neighbouring villages and duped residents by claiming that registration of properties would take some time as it was under development.

“The cost of plots was not too high. So, no one bothered to check the revenue records and bought it, starting at ₹1 lakh for 30 gaj (270 square feet). Illegal electricity meters, water connections and sewerage connections were done and these dealers made money,” a senior district administration official said, requesting anonymity.

More than 20 property dealers were allegedly involved in the nexus and targeted to sell nearly 12,000 plots, ranging from 270 to 900 square feet, for ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh. “They sold the plots that they had no rights over and minted money. There was no registry done as it was illegal sales. People bought them without verification and started construction,” said Kuldeep Singh, station house officer of Surajkund police station.

Parul Biwi, who moved to Khori seven years ago, said that her family bought a 315 square-foot plot for ₹1 lakh and spent another ₹3 lakh on construction. “We had taken a loan from relatives and friends to construct our house. We had to sell our ancestral house as we all started working here and the plot was much cheaper compared to other places. We have paid around ₹1 lakh to property dealer to get our IDs made and during construction, they used to charge extra to get the construction material passed from the police check post,” she said.

Biwi alleged the authorities were also in collusion with the property dealers.

Ram Lakhan who moved from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh to Khori in 2004 said he paid ₹1 lakh and constructed his house on around 450 square feet. “I only bought construction material and bricks with the help of the dealer. He had to pay for every vehicle which ferried the material. We were told it goes to all officers and once constructed, the colony will be registered. I have four children and have nowhere to go,” he said.

The police said they are compiling a list with details of monetary transactions and the people involved in selling plots and providing power and water connections. “The suspects, fearing arrests, are on the run from nearby villages,” said Singh.

The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad owns around 150 acres in Khori village, on which these illegal houses have been built over the last 20 years. As per revenue records, the land was declared a ”forest” in 1992 under sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900. The land also comes under the definition of “controlled area”, as per the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act.

“We are preparing a list of property dealers who had sold plots in the area. We have asked people to come forward to complain against the persons involved in selling plots and getting construction done. People who bought the land here are mostly from other states and were working here. They spent all their savings and took loans to construct these houses. We will take strict action against those found guilty,” Singh said.

The cases have been registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code at Surajkund police station over the past seven days, police said.

More than 150 police personnel continue to remain deployed in the area, covering checkpoints at all entry and exit points of the village to ensure the safety and security of villagers.

The Supreme Court, in an order on June 7, had directed the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) to “take all essential measures to remove encroachments on the subject forest land without any exception,” giving the civic body six weeks to complete the task.

Yashpal Yadav, the deputy commissioner of Faridabad, said that a survey was carried out by MCF and nearly 5,158 houses that were built will be razed in the demolition.