Uttarakhand: Elderly NRI womans ancestral land grabbed in Dehradun; 27 booked for fraud

DEHRADUN: A shocking case of land grabbing has surfaced in Dehradun involving an 80-year-old Non-Resident Indian (NRI) woman. A land mafia allegedly forged documents to seize her six-bigha ancestral property in Bharuwala Grant and sold it to multiple buyers. The woman, Neelam Misal, discovered the fraud after noticing construction activity on her land. She subsequently filed a police complaint, leading to the registration of a case against 27 accused individuals. Misal learned that her six bighas (approximately 5,400 square yards) of inherited land had not only been illegally occupied but also subdivided into plots and sold for crores of rupees while she was living abroad. According to police sources, upon returning to Dehradun, Misalwho currently resides in Maharani Bagh, South Delhi, and has lived in the US for many yearswas shocked to find the entire tract of land in Bharuwala Grant already developed, with houses, foundations, and demarcated plots in place. I couldnt believe my eyes, Misal stated through her appointed representative, Zeeshan of Saharanpur, who is handling the legal proceedings in India. My ancestral home was gone, replaced by a massive, illegal construction project. This was not just theft; it was a systematic, organized attack on my heritage. A probe into property records at the Sub-Registrars office has uncovered a large-scale forgery operation. Police sources say the fraud involved fake sale deeds and other forged documents that were meticulously planned and executed. Following the discovery, Misal registered a formal complaint at the Clementown Police Station in Dehradun. In a significant development, the police have filed a case against 27 individuals under serious sections related to fraud, forgery, and illegal land grabbing. Mohan Singh, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Clementown, confirmed the registration of the First Information Report (FIR). The complaint names 27 individuals, including key figures such as Sheikh Saad Ullah, Irfan Haider, Nadeem Khan, Sheikh Farukh Ullah, and Imran Faridi, among others, SHO Singh said. We have initiated a thorough investigation into all allegations of document forgery and conspiracy. Police sources indicate that the entire incident is being treated as the work of a highly organized land-mafia network operating within Dehradun and surrounding areas. Initial findings suggest that the gang has been actively involved in forging documents and seizing land, often targeting properties belonging to people living outside the state or abroad. The sophistication of the forgery suggests a well-established criminal enterprise, remarked a senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity. We are currently tracing the financial transactions related to the plot sales and expect the investigation to uncover more individuals involved in this deep-rooted racket.