The Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Friday took action against nine individuals, including a sub-registrar, for allegedly executing a fraudulent sale deed of an NRI’s land. The scam, which involved the illegal sale of a 14-kanal plot, was discovered after a surprise check at a sub-registrar office in Ludhiana.
The accused executed the sale deed of land owned by Deep Singh, a non-resident Indian (NRI) living in the US, using forged documents. The land, located near the Lodhowal-Verka bypass in Noorpur Bet village, was sold for a mere Rs30 lakh, despite its actual market value of Rs6 crore.
The Vigilance Bureau arrested advocate Gurcharan Singh from Ludhiana, who played a key role in facilitating the fraudulent land registration. The full list of arrested individuals includes:
Jagsir Singh Saran, sub-registrar, who executed the fake sale deed
Deepak Goel, the buyer
Baghel Singh, numberdar, who acted as a witness
Krishan Gopal, registry clerk
Amit Gaur, who signed on behalf of the buyer
An unidentified man posing as Deep Singh, the real owner
Raghbir Singh, computer operator and property dealer
Gurcharan Singh, advocate, who also signed as a witness
According to the Vigilance Bureau spokesperson, the investigation began following a surprise inspection at the sub-registrar’s office in West tehsil, Ludhiana, on February 21. The team acted on intelligence reports about fraudulent land registrations.
The sale deed was executed on February 11, 2024, between Deep Singh and Deepak Goel from Panchkula. During the probe, it was revealed that Deep Singh, aged 55, had been living in the US since birth, and the sale deed had been executed by an imposter in his place.
This operation highlights the vigilance of the authorities in curbing fraudulent land deals and protecting the rights of NRI property owners.
