Dehradun land fraud, October 2026: an alleged fake will and a mortgaged plot

On 7 October 2026 Dehradun police filed a case over land in East Hopetown allegedly moved on a fake will and death receipt, and arrested two men over a ₹40 lakh deal for a mortgaged plot.

What happened

ETV Bharat reported both cases on 7 October 2026. They are different frauds, but both turn on papers a buyer or heir could have checked.

A living man shown as dead. Premnagar police registered a case against three people, including the son of the owner of a well-known Dehradun college. The complaint was made in court by a resident of Simlasgrant, Doiwala. He alleges that a fake will was made in his father's name in 1995, and a fake cremation ground receipt was made showing his father died on 14 June 2002.

According to the complaint, his father actually died on 20 November 2016, and the Simlasgrant gram panchayat issued a proper death certificate. The complaint says the fake will, the fake receipt and other papers were used to get entries made in the revenue records, in the accused's favour, for about 0.4050 hectares of his father's land in East Hopetown.

ETV Bharat reported the case number as 216/2026, under sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 504, 506 and 120B. Premnagar station in-charge Girish Negi said further action would follow the law after the investigation.

A plot sold while it was mortgaged. In a separate case, Raipur police arrested a man and his son in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. Police said the case began with a complaint on 28 April 2025 by a woman living on Nesvila Road.

According to police, in March 2023 the man's wife agreed to sell her land in the Rajpur area for ₹45 lakh, and the buyer paid her ₹40 lakh. The buyer later found that the land was already mortgaged to a bank against a loan of ₹18 lakh. Police said the seller then went missing, and the husband and son were later found to be involved. The SSP had announced a ₹10,000 reward on each of the three.

Police said the two men told them during questioning that the wife, named as the main accused, had died, and that they handed over papers about her death. Both men were produced in court and sent to jail, the report said.

The people named in these reports are accused. The reports do not say anyone has been convicted.

What it means for buyers and heirs in Dehradun

This section is our view.

A will can change the khatauni, so check how the seller got the land. If the seller's name came into the revenue record through a will or inheritance, ask to see the will and the death certificate of the previous owner. A death certificate should come from the municipal body or gram panchayat that registered the death. A crematorium receipt alone is not enough. Check that the date of death fits the dates on the will and the mutation.

Talk to the other heirs. Land passed on by a will or inheritance often has several legal heirs. Before you pay, find out who the previous owner's children and spouse are, and whether they agree to the sale. A dispute among heirs can tie up a plot for years, even if the buyer did nothing wrong.

Heirs should watch the family land. If your parents own land in Dehradun, keep copies of the khatauni and check it now and then on the state's land records portal. If a name you do not recognise appears, act quickly through the tehsil and, if needed, the police or court. In the East Hopetown case, the complaint says the record was changed years before the real owner died.

Ask the bank, not just the seller, if the land is free. In the Rajpur case, police said the land was already mortgaged. Before paying any large sum, get an encumbrance search at the sub-registrar's office and ask the seller for a written no-dues letter from any bank they have borrowed from. If there is a loan, the payment should clear it, and the bank should release the original papers, before or at registration.

Do not pay most of the price before registration. ₹40 lakh of a ₹45 lakh deal was paid in the Rajpur case, police said. Keep the advance small, pay through the bank, and pay the balance only at the sub-registrar's office. Our post on advance payments in land deals goes through this in more detail, and our checklist of papers for a plot lists the rest.

If you would rather start from listings our agents have checked, browse property for sale in Dehradun on ILA Infra.

Questions people ask

How can a fake will change land records in Dehradun?

When an owner dies, their heirs or the people named in a will can apply to have the land entered in their names in the revenue record. In the East Hopetown case, the complaint alleges that a fake will and a fake death receipt were used to get such entries made while the owner was still alive.

How do I check if a plot in Dehradun is mortgaged to a bank?

Get an encumbrance search for the plot at the sub-registrar's office, and ask the seller for a no-dues letter from any lender. If a loan is running, the bank usually holds the original sale deed, so a seller who can show only photocopies is a warning sign.

What happened in the ₹40 lakh Raipur land fraud case?

Raipur police said a woman paid ₹40 lakh in a ₹45 lakh deal for land in the Rajpur area that was already mortgaged against an ₹18 lakh loan. Police arrested the seller's husband and son in Shamli on charges of cheating and conspiracy. Police said the two men told them the seller had died.

Sources

Buying land in Dehradun and unsure about the papers? Call Neeraj Thapa on +91 98320 03494.

How we write these: the ILA Infra team reads the reports listed under Sources and links every one, so you can check each figure yourself. The section on what it means for buyers is our own view, not advice.