News · By ILA Infra · 3 min read
Sold twice, gifted by a fake owner: two Dehradun property frauds of 2026 and the checks that catch them
Two Dehradun cases this year show a pattern: the paper looked right, but the seller had no right to sell. In one, a flat on Haridwar Road was sold a second time on forged papers. In the othe
The flat sold twice
Time Witness reported that Nagar Kotwali police arrested Sanjay Jain, 65, of Altima Apartment on Inder Road, Dalanwala, on 29 May 2026. Police said a fifth-floor flat in Arihant Tower on Haridwar Road had already been sold legally in 2024 to Nishant Garg. Forged papers were then made to sell it again, for ₹1.65 crore. According to the report, Jain told police his luggage business in Haridwar had failed and left the family in debt. Police said others were involved and were being sought. The arrest was made under the SSP's drive against the land mafia.
The gift deed signed by a fake owner
Amar Ujala reported on 15 September 2026 that Rajpur police registered an FIR on a complaint by Karan Sharma of Uttam Nagar, Delhi. He said he was cheated of about ₹97.82 lakh over a 270 sq yd plot in Khaskhal, valued at ₹1.08 crore. According to the complaint, on 29 September 2023 property dealer Sanjay Tyagi of Kishanpur and Prashant Rajora presented a man posing as the owner, Anoop Kumar Dobhal. A gift deed was then executed in the name of the complainant's wife. Sharma said he found out when he tried to take possession and met the real owner's family. He said Tyagi returned only ₹10 lakh and threatened him when pressed for the rest.
Checks that would have caught them
This section is our view.
Search the registry, not just the seller's file. A buyer of the Arihant Tower flat could have found the 2024 sale with an encumbrance search at the sub-registrar's office for the flat's details. Ask for one covering at least 12 years, and do it yourself or through your own lawyer, not through the seller's agent.
Be wary of a "gift deed" for a paid deal. A gift deed is for property given without payment, usually within a family. If you are paying for a property, a gift deed to you or a relative is a red flag. Insist on a registered sale deed that records the price and how it was paid.
Meet the owner, and check the owner is who they say. Both cases turned on who was signing. Match the seller's Aadhaar and PAN through official verification against the name in the khatauni or the flat's previous sale deed, and talk to neighbours or the society office about who owns it. Our post on the Vikasnagar fake-Aadhaar arrest lists more identity checks.
For flats, ask the society and the builder. A housing society or builder usually knows who the current owner is, and whether a transfer or maintenance record exists. A seller who does not want you to ask them is a warning.
Do not pay a dealer. Pay the owner on record, through the bank, and only against registration. Our post on advance payments in land deals covers token money and agreements to sell.
If you would rather start from listings our agents have checked, browse property for sale in Dehradun on ILA Infra.
Sources
- Time Witness: फर्जी दस्तावेज बनाकर दोबारा बेची संपत्ति, 1.65 करोड़ की ठगी में आरोपी गिरफ्तार
- Amar Ujala: फर्जी मालिक खड़ा किया, उपहार में जमीन देकर ठगे 97 लाख; तीन आरोपियों के खिलाफ प्राथमिकी दर्ज
Buying or selling property in Dehradun and unsure about the paperwork? 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.
