Jewar, Uttar Pradesh — October 14, 2025: When farmer Sunil Barola sold two bighas of land near the upcoming Jewar airport, he thought he was securing his family’s future. But when he saw buyers queuing up for six bighas, he realized he had been conned. His complaint became the first in a chain of events that exposed a massive ₹100-crore land scam involving forged documents, fake Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) approvals, and fraudulent real estate companies operating across the Delhi–NCR region.
The fraud, which has trapped hundreds of farmers and buyers, extends from Aligarh to Noida and has reached the doorsteps of IAS and IPS officers. The symbol of Uttar Pradesh’s rapid urbanization — the Jewar International Airport project — has inadvertently become the epicenter of one of the biggest property scams in recent memory.
How the Scam Worked: Forged Maps and Phantom Projects
The lure was irresistible: plots near India’s largest upcoming airport, minutes away from expressways and proposed film and sports cities. Real estate agents launched shell firms, forged YEIDA maps, and sold the same plots multiple times to unsuspecting buyers.
When the Tappal–Bajna block of Aligarh came under YEIDA’s jurisdiction in 2022, the land rush turned frenzied. Companies advertised “YEIDA-approved plots,” complete with glossy brochures, fabricated site plans, and fake digital campaigns. The same agents often bought farmland from villagers using falsified documents and then resold it to investors at inflated prices.
Even educated professionals and government officials fell victim. “These were not small-time fraudsters,” said a senior investigating officer. “They used corporate-style branding, digital marketing, and social media campaigns to appear legitimate.”
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The Officer Who Went Undercover
When IPS Amrit Jain, a 2021-batch officer, took charge as SP (Aligarh Rural), he inherited dozens of unresolved fraud cases. Instead of limiting the probe to local agents, Jain decided to go undercover, posing as a Noida-based software developer looking to buy a plot. Over several visits, he was offered “disputed land with guaranteed clearance” and shown fake YEIDA documents stamped with forged seals.
“What struck me was how confident and organized they were,” Jain said. “They had rehearsed pitches, maps, and digital folders ready.”
Jain realized the fraud network went far beyond petty forgery — it was a well-structured syndicate involving repeat offenders. His team mapped patterns of transactions, linked multiple agents, and invoked the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act to enable stronger arrests and property seizures.
Under his leadership, the police seized over ₹93 crore worth of illegal assets, including 40,596 square metres of land belonging to one of the biggest culprits — JSM Private Infratech Ltd. The company had duped both farmers and buyers using cloned documents.
Victims of a False Promise
For victims like Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Umradeen, the scam destroyed more than savings — it shattered lifelong dreams. Rehman, a clerk from Noida, spent nearly half his salary paying for a plot that “would become the new Gurugram.” Now, it’s an empty field where cows graze. “I don’t want a bigger house anymore,” he said. “I just want to educate my children and have two meals a day.”
Umradeen, a muezzin from Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, borrowed money from relatives to buy 10 bighas for ₹6 lakh. “He even sent me videos of land being cleared,” he said. “Only later did I find out it was all fake.” Jain’s team also uncovered how farmers were manipulated. Agents pressured them to sell land with promises of YEIDA buyouts or inflated compensation, only to resell the same plots multiple times.
Crackdown and Public Awareness
Since January 2025, Aligarh Police and YEIDA have conducted joint operations, issuing notices to over 400 firms and carrying out 25 anti-encroachment drives, reclaiming land worth ₹2,500 crore. Jain also launched weekly awareness drives in villages like Tappal and Goraula. “Farmers aren’t very literate,” he said. “We explain how to verify documents, check YEIDA approvals, and report fraud.” Social media has also become a battleground. While scammers used AI-generated visuals to lure buyers, legitimate developers are now posting disclaimers like “100% YEIDA-approved plots — beware of fake agents.”
A Crime Scene in Transition
While police raids have slowed open sales, the business hasn’t stopped — it’s simply moved underground. Agents now operate quietly through WhatsApp groups and small meetups, selling dreams of “plots near the new Jewar terminal.” For IPS officer Amrit Jain, the mission isn’t just about arrests — it’s about restoring faith. “The goal is to ensure no farmer, no small investor, and no family loses their future to deception again,” he said.
