A case of alleged ₹18 lakh land fraud has come to light in Kanpur’s Kalyanpur area, where a group of accused allegedly sold a plot using a forged allotment letter of the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) along with fabricated property documents. Based on the victim’s complaint, police have registered an FIR against 12 named individuals, including a married couple, on charges of cheating, forgery, fabrication of documents, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation.
According to the complaint, Vishnu Prasad Dubey, a resident of Indranagar in Kalyanpur, was approached by Gaurav Shukla and his wife Jagriti Shukla, who allegedly offered to sell Plot No. C-1/173, claiming it had been allotted by the KDA. To establish credibility, the accused allegedly produced what they claimed were official KDA allotment papers and other supporting documents. After the deal was finalised, the victim paid ₹1 lakh as an advance.
The complainant alleged that he was later called to a residence in Gwaltoli, where Pramod Shukla, Raman Joshi, and Ashutosh Mishra were also present. During that meeting, he allegedly paid an additional ₹1.50 lakh. He was subsequently taken to another location in Vijay Nagar, where Seema Srivastava, Ruchi Srivastava, Prashant Srivastava, and Sumit Srivastava were introduced as the purported owners of the plot.
The complaint further states that Rama Joshi instructed the victim to transfer the remaining amount into different bank accounts. According to the complainant, he transferred ₹5 lakh to Jagriti Shukla’s bank account and nearly ₹10 lakh to Seema Srivastava’s account through multiple online transactions. Including other payments, the accused allegedly received a total of ₹18 lakh, after which they handed over a sale agreement.
The alleged fraud came to light when the victim visited the plot to take possession. Suspecting the authenticity of the documents, he had them verified and allegedly discovered that the agreement had been prepared on fake stamp paper. The purported KDA allotment letter and other supporting documents were also found to be forged.
The complainant alleged that when he demanded the return of his money, the accused repeatedly delayed repayment. He further claimed that an attempt was later made to return ₹2 lakh and another ₹80,000, but the full amount was never refunded. The complaint also alleges that the accused threatened to kill him and his family if he approached the police.
Police have registered a case against Gaurav Shukla, Jagriti Shukla, Pramod Shukla, Raman Joshi, Ashutosh Mishra, Seema Srivastava, Ruchi Srivastava, Prashant Srivastava, Sumit Srivastava, Rama Joshi, advocate Ramathra, and Hirdesh Singh under the relevant provisions of law. Investigators are examining the disputed documents, bank transactions, and other evidence to determine the full extent of the alleged fraud.
According to financial crime experts associated with the Future Crime Research Foundation (FCRF), relying solely on documents provided by a seller can expose buyers to significant financial risk in property transactions. The experts recommend independently verifying ownership records, allotment documents, stamp paper authenticity, and transaction history with the concerned development authority before purchasing any property. They say thorough legal due diligence and document verification remain the most effective safeguards against organised real estate fraud.
