By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 12 Aug: Dehradun seems to have become a hub for land frauds and unfortunately, many of these land sale frauds have been committed in connivance with the officials posted with the Sub Registrar’s office. While in some cases, genuine records were replaced with forged documents and in other cases, forged documents were prepared and based on these, sale deeds were registered. In one case, 3 persons were arrested by Doon Police, including one official from the Registrar’s Office. SSP Daleep Singh Kunwar informed that in this forgery of land located in the Tea Estate, 2 timber merchants Santosh Agarwal and his cousin Deep Agarwal, both residents of Assam (Dibrugarh), have been arrested along with a local person Dal Chand, an official posted in the Sub Registrar’s Office, while the main accused, Imran is absconding along with his associates. The mastermind of the case Irman is an advocate in Dehradun. As per the Police, Advocate Imran had first prepared a fake registry of 12.5 acres of Tea estate land in the name of two brothers, timber merchants Santosh Aggarwal and his brother Deep Aggarwal, both residents of Dibrugarh in Assam. According to the Aggarwals, Advocate Imran, a resident of Bijnor had come in touch with them when they were visiting Saharanpur and Dehradun and had lured them to join the fraud. He had claimed that many large plots in Dehradun belonged to those who had died without any inheritors and one such plot can be registered in their names. The tea-estate land was sold to them for a sum of Rs 11 crore as white money. Advocate Irman had opened two bank accounts in their names in Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Banks in Dehradun but kept the documents of the accounts with him after taking their signatures on some blank cheques of the accounts. However, after getting the land registered in their names, Imran gave them a few lakhs while he kept most of the amount from the Rs 11 crore with himself. He got the registry transferred in his name showing that the Aggarwal brothers had sold them the land for Rs 11 crore.
Santosh Agarwal and his brother Deep Agarwal, resident of Assam Dibrugarh, who were arrested by the police, informed the police during the interrogation that they have wood and coal work in Assam. In connection with the business, they often used to go to Saharanpur. In 2019, they met a person named KP Singh in Saharanpur, who introduced him to Advocate Imran. Imran asked both the brothers to come to Dehradun. A few days later, when the timber merchants reached Dehradun, Imran told them there was a large plot in Raipur area lying unclaimed near the Tea estate. If the land was registered in their name, they can later sell the plot for a huge profit. He then got fake registries made of the plot concerned in their names and then showing as if they sold the land to him. The Police also informed that One Dal Chand, a resident of Dalanwala in Dehradun, posted as assistant in the Registry Office has also been arrested for his involvement. The Police has not ruled out involvement of more officials from the registry office and has indicated that more arrests were likely as the scope of investigation has increased.
The Police further informed that one Makhan Singh has already been arrested in the past in this case only. Those arrested are Santosh Aggarwal aged 49 and Deepchand Aggarwal (cousin of Santosh Aggarwal), both of them being residents of Dibrugarh in Assam and Dal Chand, resident of Nai Basti in Race Course Dehradun, who is aged 58 years and works as assistant in the Registrar’s office.
The charges include removal of original documents from the record room and their replacement with fake papers pasted in the old bound record registers.
The Police claims that Advocate Imran is the mastermind of the fraud and he leads an organised gang indulging in fake registries with the help of Dal Chand and other employees posted in the Registry office.
