GURUGRAM: What appeared to be a routine land transaction in Haryana unraveled into an alleged ₹18-crore fraud, exposing how forged documents, impersonation and disappearing sellers can upend high-value property deals in the fast-urbanising fringes of Gurugram.
A Land Deal That Began With Papers and Promises
In August 2024, Kapil Sharma, a resident of Silokhra village in Gurugram, was approached by three men claiming to represent the owners of 11 acres of agricultural land in the Palwal district. The land, they said, was located in Dhoujhera village and was free of disputes. To substantiate their claim, the men produced revenue records, jamabandi papers and other documents that appeared to establish clear ownership.
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Sharma was shown the land on site. According to his complaint, the documents and the physical inspection aligned, and negotiations moved quickly. The deal was eventually finalised at approximately ₹18 crore. An agreement to sell was prepared the same month, laying out the payment schedule and assurances that the registration would follow once the full amount was transferred.
Money Paid, Registration Deferred
Soon after the agreement was signed, Sharma paid ₹12 crore to the accused as an advance. The remaining amount was transferred days later, after repeated assurances that the sale deed would be executed and possession formally handed over. The sellers, Sharma alleged, continued to delay the registration, citing procedural formalities and promising that all remaining paperwork would be completed shortly.
When weeks passed without movement, Sharma attempted to contact them. Phone calls went unanswered. Messages were not returned. Alarmed, he went to their residential address, only to learn that the house had been sold and the occupants had moved away. By then, the accused were untraceable.
The Discovery at the Plot
The extent of the alleged deception became clear when Sharma visited the land itself to take possession. Local inquiries revealed that the men who sold him the land were not its legal owners. The agricultural parcel, residents told him, belonged to someone else entirely. The documents he had been shown, investigators later alleged, were forged.
According to police, the accused had allegedly created false ownership records and used them to impersonate the real landholders. After receiving the full consideration, they sold their own property and fled, leaving Sharma without legal title despite having paid the entire amount.
Police Case and Ongoing Investigation
Following Sharma’s complaint, a case was registered at Sector 40 police station in Gurugram. The Economic Offences Wing has taken over the investigation. Three individuals have been booked under sections relating to cheating, forgery and other allied offences. Police officials said they are examining the trail of documents used in the transaction and attempting to trace the accused, who remain absconding.
Investigators are also scrutinising how forged land records were prepared and whether any intermediaries or officials were involved in facilitating the sale. The case adds to a growing list of high-value property frauds in the Gurugram–Palwal belt, where rapid land transactions and soaring prices have created fertile ground for impersonation and document-based deception.
