Nearly two years before he was allegedly abducted and killed, property dealer Dhirendra Pratap Singh had written to chief minister Yogi Adityanath alleging a land-mafia nexus with officials in Unnao’s Bangarmau tehsil and seeking a high-level probe and action against those involved. Now, as police investigate whether a property dispute led to his murder, the November 2024 complaint has emerged as a possible motive trail.
Hindustan Times has accessed a copy of the representation in which Singh, chairman of the Maharana Pratap Charitable Foundation, sought a time-bound inquiry into alleged encroachments and irregularities involving land parcels in Bangarmau.
Singh alleged illegal possession of pond and category-3 land, unauthorised registration and plotting, and construction of a road through government land. He specifically referred to plots bearing Gata Nos. 488 and 487, alleging that land recorded as pond and Gram Samaj property had been taken over by land mafias.
He also alleged that agricultural land was being registered and mutated without completing required legal procedures.
The complaint named the then sub-divisional magistrate, tehsildar, sub-registrar and other officials and employees of Bangarmau tehsil, seeking an inquiry into their alleged roles. Singh alleged a nexus between the land mafia, tehsil administration and registration department and claimed officials had received money in connection with the alleged activities.
Singh also alleged that a clerk posted at Bangarmau tehsil for nearly 10 years had supported the alleged land mafia and purchased part of Gata No 488 in the names of family members.
{{/usCountry}}Singh also alleged that a clerk posted at Bangarmau tehsil for nearly 10 years had supported the alleged land mafia and purchased part of Gata No 488 in the names of family members.
{{/usCountry}}According to the complaint, Singh had met the Bangarmau SDM on November 13, 2024, and subsequently informed the Unnao district magistrate on November 16. He claimed no action was taken despite his representations.
Singh sought a government-level committee headed by the Lucknow divisional commissioner, with officials from another tehsil included in the panel, to examine the alleged encroachments and land transactions.
Police investigating Singh’s murder are now examining whether his intervention in the land dispute could have made him a target. They are likely to check whether people named in the complaint had later disputes, financial dealings or contact with those detained in the murder case.
JCP (L&O) Babloo Kumar said police had arrested Singh’s driver and an associate, who allegedly confessed to the killing. “They are probing a suspected property dispute in Unnao as a possible motive,” he said, adding that six teams had been formed to arrest the remaining accused.
Police are also examining whether the driver acted independently, for financial gain or as part of a wider conspiracy linked to the Unnao property dispute.
Singh, who lived in the PGI area and was originally from Unnao, allegedly went missing on Saturday. His wife, Mamta Singh, lodged a complaint alleging that he was abducted from Sushant Golf City by his driver and associates and later shot dead, with his body dumped in a canal in the Dubagga area.