Karnal, June 13: A case of alleged fraud involving over one crore rupees under the guise of a land deal has come to light in Karnal. It is alleged that an individual obtained lakhs of rupees by presenting a forged land agreement and subsequently sold the same land to another buyer. Following the complaint, the Assandh police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.
Mahabir, a resident of Jaisinghpura village in Karnal, stated in his police complaint that he is a farmer. He met Shobha Singh, a resident of Alawla, who negotiated a deal for 48 kanals and 1 marla of land at a rate of ?93 lakh per acre. The land was stated to be owned by Rani (wife of Mahendra) and Narendra Kaur (daughter of Mahendra). Ravi (a resident of Gondar) and Kamaljit (a resident of Alawla) acted as intermediaries in the deal.
According to Mahabir, an agreement was drawn up on October 9, 2025. At that time, Shobha Singh claimed he would produce the original earnest money agreement later. Relying on this assurance, Mahabir paid ?40 lakh in cash and ?8 lakh via RTGS that same day. A cheque for ?45 lakh was handed over the following day. It was agreed that the remaining ?27 lakh would be paid after inspecting the original documents.
The complainant alleges that despite repeated requests, the accused party failed to show the original agreement. Subsequent inquiries revealed that at the time of the deal, Shobha Singh did not possess any valid agreement with the landowners, and the document shown was allegedly forged.
Mahabir stated that on October 31, ?8 lakh was returned to the account of his partner, Sumit. Subsequently, Ravi and Kamaljit proposed cancelling the deal, citing issues with the land. They claimed that another buyer was willing to pay a higher price for the property. A new agreement was reached between the two parties on November 6, under which it was decided to return the land to Shobha Singh at a rate of ?98.71 lakh per acre. On the same day, a receipt was prepared acknowledging a total payment of ?23 lakh, comprising ?15 lakh in cash and the ?8 lakh that had been returned earlier. An assurance was given that the registration of the deed would be completed by January 15.
However, Mahabir later discovered that Shobha Singh had already sold the land in question to Vijendra, a resident of Sanoli, on October 28. In other words, the land had already been transferred to another person's name before the process of reversing the deal had even taken place.
According to the complaint, during discussions, Shobha Singh allegedly admitted that he had initially struck the deal using a forged agreement and later sold the land for a higher profit after reaching a settlement with the actual owners. He also promised to return the money by February 10 but failed to make the payment.
Mahabir alleges that when he demanded the money, the accused verbally abused him and refused to return the funds. The matter reached the DSP's office, where, as part of a settlement, the accused issued a cheque dated May 11; however, it bounced upon presentation at the bank.
Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case against Shobha Singh, a resident of Alawla, charging him with fraud and other offenses. The responsibility for the investigation has been assigned to Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar. The police state that further action will be taken following a thorough examination of the documents and allegations.