Scammers forge IDs, attempt to sell South City-I plot; booked

The fraud came to light in September 2023 when a contractor, who was scammed, contacted the owner to take possession of the property

Unidentified suspects were booked for allegedly impersonating the owner of an 8,913-square-foot plot in South City-I by forging his Aadhaar and PAN cards, Gurugram Police said on Saturday. The suspects allegedly entered into a sale agreement with a contractor and took a hefty advance payment before the forgery came to light, they added. 

the monetary value involved in the scam is unclear as they are yet to question the contractor, police said. (File Photo)

According to police, the plot’s owner, Virender Singh, a Delhi-based businessman in his 70s, had purchased the property several decades ago. Due to a familial dispute over properties owned by Singh, including this plot, the Delhi high court had ordered status quo on title and possession in June 2014. Despite this, the suspects managed to procure a certified copy of the property’s sale deed and used it to execute their scheme, police said. 

The fraud came to light in September 2023 when the contractor, who had entered into a sale agreement with the suspects, contacted Singh and his son Varun Kamboj to take possession of the property. The family was taken aback to learn of the agreement and the advance payment, police said, adding that the monetary value involved in the scam is unclear as they are yet to question the contractor. 

“The contractor and his brother threatened Singh and Kamboj with dire consequences if they didn’t repay the advance or sell the land,” a senior police officer said. Kamboj calmed the contractor and requested a meeting to examine the documents in question, he added. 

The contractor handed over forged documents, including an Aadhaar card and PAN card in Singh’s name, a sale agreement registered in Ghaziabad, and photographs of the suspects. “The prime suspect, posing as a Ghaziabad resident, managed to procure the certified sale deed of the property from the sub-registry office and used it to create forged identity documents,” the officer said. 

Singh’s son, Kamboj, filed a complaint with the police on December 11, leading to a case being registered at the Sector 40 police station on Friday under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. 

Sandeep Kumar, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said that an investigation is ongoing to identify the suspects. “We will arrest the impersonator and all others involved in the forgery soon,” he said.