News · 12 October 2026 · 5 min read

Dehradun land fraud 2026: ED arrest, forged papers and what buyers should check

The ED arrested an accused in a Dehradun land fraud in September 2026, and the Garhwal commissioner ordered FIRs in eight more cases. Forged papers are the common thread.

What happened

The ED arrest. The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) said in a press release dated 7 September 2026 that its Dehradun office arrested Naveen Kumar Mittal on 3 September under the money-laundering law (PMLA). The Special Court (PMLA) in Dehradun sent him to five days of ED custody.

According to the ED:

the case grew out of several Uttarakhand Police FIRs about fabricated land records and fraudulent sales of land in Dehradun
police have filed charge sheets in two of those FIRs naming Mittal as the prime accused
forged documents were used to present a co-accused as the owner, and the land was then sold to buyers
about ₹3.24 crore of the sale money, which the ED calls proceeds of crime, went into an account in the co-accused's name that a forensic check found Mittal himself operated
ED searched his premises in August 2026 and seized documents and digital devices

The ED had earlier filed a prosecution complaint in the same case against three other people. The agency described land fraud through fabricated revenue records and forged titles as one of the most pervasive economic crimes in Uttarakhand.

A plot sold to three buyers. In May 2026 IANS reported the arrest of a Dehradun councillor, Amit Bhandari, in a separate case. Police said the main accused, Pradeep Saklani, and associates forged ownership papers for a plot owned by an elderly woman living in Maharashtra, fabricated death certificates for her two sons, and sold the same plot to three different buyers. The first FIR, filed in October 2025, involved a buyer who lost ₹30 lakh. IANS reported 27 earlier fraud and cheating FIRs against Saklani.

A power of attorney stretched too far. The420.in reported that Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing arrested a man near Laksar on 9 September 2026 over a ₹4.60 crore fraud involving land in Mauja Domgaon, Dehradun. The FIR was filed on 11 June 2026. Investigators alleged he posed as the owner's authorised general power of attorney (GPA) holder, went beyond that authority and made several deals for the same property.

More cases ordered. ThePrint reported on 24 September 2026 that Garhwal Division Commissioner Anand Swaroop, at a meeting of the Land Fraud Coordination Committee, reviewed 56 cases involving forged documents, encroachment and unauthorised subdivision. He ordered FIRs in eight, an SIT in one, and disposed of 12. SDMs and tehsildars were told to send detailed reports on the rest.

Everyone named above is accused, and these reports do not say anyone has been convicted. The cases are for the courts to decide.

What it means for buyers in Dehradun

This section is our view.

The cases above follow three patterns, and each has a matching check.

Someone who is not the owner sells the land. Do not rely on photocopies. Match the seller's identity with the current khatauni (revenue record) and the chain of sale deeds at the sub-registrar's office, and pay only into an account in the owner's own name.
A dead or absent owner. When a seller claims to be an heir, ask for the succession or mutation entry in the revenue record, not just a death certificate. If the owner lives elsewhere, try to speak to them directly.
A power of attorney used to sell many times. Read the GPA itself. Check what it allows, whether it is registered, and whether it has been cancelled. If the owner is alive and reachable, confirm with them.

Two simple habits help with all three. Get a lawyer to run a title search and an encumbrance check before you pay a token amount. Visit the plot and ask neighbours who owns it and whether anyone else has come asking to buy it.

Our guide to papers to check before buying a plot in Dehradun lists the documents in detail. If you are buying a flat, see checks before you pay for a flat. Plots marketed without approvals are a separate risk, covered in our post on the MDDA illegal plotting drive.

When you are ready to look, the property for sale in Dehradun on ILA Infra lists owners and agents you can speak to directly.

Questions people ask

How do land frauds in Dehradun usually work?

In the 2026 cases, forged title or revenue papers were used to make someone appear to be the owner, or a power of attorney was misused to sell one plot to several buyers.

Where can I complain if I have been cheated in a land deal?

Go to the police and file an FIR. In Garhwal Division, ThePrint reported, a Land Fraud Coordination Committee under the commissioner also reviews such cases.

Is a registered sale deed enough proof of ownership?

Not on its own. A deed can be registered on forged papers. Check the full chain of title, the current revenue record and any encumbrances before you pay.

Sources

Buying a plot or house in Dehradun and want a second pair of eyes on the deal? Call Neeraj Thapa on +91 98320 03494.