Lucknow: A major alleged property fraud has surfaced in Lucknow, where fraudsters posing as officials of the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Council allegedly cheated 12 people of approximately ₹3.56 crore by promising residential houses at heavily discounted rates. Police have registered an FIR against nine accused after complaints that forged allotment letters were issued under the Vrindavan Scheme.
Low-Cost Houses Promised
According to the complaint, the alleged fraud began in September 2022 when Bhuvnesh Agrawal, a resident of Ruchi Khand-1 in Sharda Nagar, was introduced by Afzal and Shanu Ali to Rajendra Prasad, who allegedly presented himself as an Office Superintendent at the Housing Board headquarters.
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Rajendra Prasad allegedly claimed that cancelled houses could be re-allotted at 2008 prices through an internal process.
Bhuvnesh Agrawal and his wife Pushpalata Agrawal, a retired Assistant Superintendent from Gandhi Memorial Hospital, allegedly agreed to purchase a house. They were later introduced to two other alleged officials, Laxman Prasad and Yashwant Singh.
Forged Allotment Letters Issued
The suspects allegedly described the allotment process as confidential, obtained application forms in the names of Pushpalata, Dhruv Agrawal and Deepashikha Agrawal, and collected ₹15 lakh through cash payments and bank transfers.
Investigators said Bhuvnesh Agrawal subsequently introduced several relatives and acquaintances to the accused. The suspects allegedly accepted money from multiple individuals, collected application forms and issued forged allotment letters.
When property registration was repeatedly delayed, the victims approached the Housing Board directly. They allegedly discovered that the allotment documents were fake and that the accused had no official authority.
FIR Against Nine Accused
According to the complaint, the alleged losses include ₹87.91 lakh from Deepak Kumar, ₹62.40 lakh from Mohan Agrawal, ₹51.32 lakh from Pushpalata Agrawal, ₹31 lakh from Sanjay Dixit, ₹27.44 lakh from Puneet Agrawal, ₹27 lakh from Ranveer Prasad Dubey, ₹25.65 lakh from Shakti Singh, ₹17.91 lakh from Sujata Devi, ₹12.79 lakh from Rashmi Mathur, ₹8 lakh from Dhruv Agrawal, ₹5.45 lakh from Bhuvnesh Agrawal and ₹1.03 lakh from Deepashikha Agrawal.
Based on directions issued by the Police Commissioner, Ashiyana Police Station has registered a case against Afzal, Shanu, Rajendra Prasad, Rukmani Rai alias Rinky, Kripashankar, Yashwant Singh, Ramesh, Laxman and Desh Deepak.
Police officials said financial transactions, documents and the alleged role of each accused are being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
