Garhwal Post Bureau
Haldwani, 2 Jul: There is no dearth of land mafia in Uttarakhand making illegal and fraudulent land deals. A startling case of land fraud has surfaced from Haldwani, where members of the land mafia, allegedly in collusion with government officials, sold portions of a public road to multiple individuals, including a serving army jawan. The fraudulent transactions, which date back to 2011, remained undetected for nearly 14 years and were officially registered, adding to the gravity of the crime.
The matter came to light during a public hearing chaired by Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat, who promptly directed Mukhani police to register a case against the property dealers involved. Investigations have since been initiated into the allegations.
The case involves a soldier from the Kumaon Regiment, presently posted in Kashmir, who had in 2011 purchased a 1,900 square feet area plot at Ramri Ansingh in the Mukhani area under his wife’s name through local property dealers. After completing the formal registration, he constructed a boundary wall on the site. During his visits on leave, he would inspect the property, but on his most recent visit, he was surprised to find it had been fenced off by someone else. Upon enquiry, he discovered the land had been registered under the name of Taruna Verma. Further investigation by verifying the field number revealed that nine such plots had been sold in a similar manner.
Disturbed by the discovery, he approached Suresh Chandra Joshi, brother of one of the property dealers, Hem Chandra Joshi, who had facilitated the sale. Upon consultation with the local Patwari, it was confirmed that the land in question was not a private holding but a public road. The revelation pointed to a deliberate manipulation of land records and fraudulent sales.
Following these developments, it has come to light that similar deceitful sales were conducted in favour of at least nine individuals. Mukhani Police Station In-charge Dinesh Joshi confirmed that a case has been registered against the property dealers on charges of fraud and cheating. The police are currently pursuing the investigation, and prompt action is expected to bring the culprits to justice.
