Man held in ₹9cr interstate land scam in Palwal, Noida

Police say the accused has 21 criminal cases, including 12 of property fraud, and was tracked using technical surveillance before arrest.

A 41-year-old suspected leader of an interstate property fraud gang was arrested from the city on Friday for allegedly cheating a resident by executing an agreement to sell 15 bigha land in Palwal and Noida for ₹9.3 crore that was actually owned by another person, police said on Saturday.

Investigators allege ₹20 lakh was kept by the accused while the rest was shared with aides; probe on to trace funds and other victims. (File photo)

The accused, Kavindra Bhati of Makoda Dadri village in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Thursday and sent to judicial custody after completion of his two-day police remand on Saturday. Investigators said he had been evading arrest for 20 months.

Police said technical surveillance placed Bhati in Gurugram over the past few days, following which a team tracked his movements and apprehended him.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said Bhati headed an interstate gang involved in duping investors in immovable properties across Delhi-NCR. “Bhati impersonated an official of prominent real estate firm, his associate Vijay Sharma, 40, impersonated a seller. They searched for investors as well as land that could be shown to them as a potential property on sale which were mostly near any upcoming projects so assure the victim that they will get high returns in future from the investment,” he said. Sharma was arrested from New Delhi railway station on December 8 last year.

An FIR under cheating and forgery charges was registered at Civil Lines police station on June 6, 2024. Police said Bhati kept ₹20 lakh while the remaining amount was shared among Sharma and other gang members. He has 21 criminal cases registered in Uttar Pradesh and Gurugram, including 12 of property fraud. Investigations are ongoing to trace the defrauded money and identify more victims.