Risk Radar

In a major land scam involving protected Aravali forest land in Gurgaon, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed an FIR against Ansal Housing, its subsidiaries, and former Haryana revenue officials, including a patwari, for manipulating land classification records to enable the illegal development of farmhouses. The FIR follows a 10-year investigation into a 1995 revenue record tampering, where land originally classified as “gair mumkin pahad” (uncultivable hill protected under the Punjab Land Preservation Act and the 1992 Aravali Notification) was reclassified as suitable for ‘farmhouses’, ‘roads’, and ‘houses’. This manipulation facilitated the development and sale of over 1,200 acres of land by Ansal’s Aravali Retreat project in Sohna’s Raisina village, a site that later attracted many high-profile buyers.

The fraudulent reclassification was allegedly carried out by then patwari Rai Singh, who, in collusion with Ansal Group entities, falsely recorded non-cultivable land as developed plots. The scam was initially brought to light by social worker Ramcharan Shukla and later gained legal traction following a suo motu case taken up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which declared all such constructions on protected forest land illegal. The ACB has invoked charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy, and forgery under IPC Sections 167, 218, 420, and 120B. Though the manipulation occurred decades ago, the FIR’s delay was attributed to the complexity of the case, involvement of retired officials, and the challenge of retrieving and verifying old records. This case underscores the systemic collusion between developers and government officials in exploiting ecologically sensitive land.

In a significant property tax scam that has rocked Ahmedabad, over 1,000 unsuspecting residents — particularly in the West Zone — have received fresh bills from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for dues they believed were cleared years ago. The scam, which remained hidden for nearly five years, involved a group of touts or agents who allegedly collected cash payments from property owners under the guise of settling their outstanding tax bills. These agents reportedly misused login credentials of AMC employees to tamper with the online system, falsely updating records to reflect "zero dues" while pocketing the collected money. The scam came to light after AMC's e-governance department recalculated property tax dues and flagged discrepancies, with the estimated fraud amount ranging between ₹1.5 crore and ₹2 crore.

Many affected property owners are now facing reclassified unpaid dues dating back to 2017–2020, with individual liabilities ranging from ₹21,000 to ₹46,000 or more. One case involved a Khadia family with five shops being asked to pay ₹1.59 lakh despite holding receipts from earlier payments. Only those with digital payment records or card receipts have received refunds, while cash payers lacking proof are being forced to pay again. Shockingly, AMC has yet to initiate any disciplinary action or confirm how many citizens were affected. Despite repeated inquiries, no official recovery data has been disclosed, and internal accountability remains absent, raising serious questions about systemic oversight and the vulnerability of public-facing digital systems.

In a major crackdown on real estate fraud, Mohali police arrested five individuals involved in a land scam and seized ₹32.5 lakh in cash along with five vehicles allegedly used in the operation. The arrested include Avtar Singh, Jagdish Kumar, Jagtar Singh, Bhupesh Mehta, and Gurbaj Singh, while two others—Manga Singh and Kulwinder Singh alias Kali—remain absconding. The arrests were made following a complaint by Amarjeet Singh of Gharuan village, who was duped into paying for land fraudulently claimed to be owned by the accused. The syndicate reportedly used forged documents and fake ownership claims to deceive buyers.

An FIR (No. 235) was registered on July 28 at Sadar Kharar police station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During interrogation, more members of the gang were identified, and the vehicles recovered include a Honda Amaze taxi, Maruti Brezza, Skoda, and a red car—each registered in different cities. According to SP (Rural) Manpreet Singh, the accused Kulwinder Singh alias Kali already has multiple criminal cases pending. Authorities believe that this is just the tip of a larger land fraud network operating in the region, and further arrests could reveal the full scale of the racket.