Fake Aadhaar, fake owner: Vikasnagar land fraud arrest, October 2026, and how to check who is selling

Vikasnagar police arrested a man on 14 October 2026 who allegedly posed as a landowner, using a fake Aadhaar card with his own photo on it, to sell land in Harbatpur.

What happened

The arrest. Amar Ujala reported on 14 October 2026 that Vikasnagar police had arrested Udit Kumar Verma, a resident of the Mandi area of Saharanpur, who had been absconding for two years.

How the fraud was done. According to the report, the land in Harbatpur belonged to Arun Kumar, a resident of Faridabad. The accused allegedly made a fake Aadhaar card and other documents in Arun Kumar's name but with his own photograph, posed as the owner, and sold the land in July 2022. Arun Kumar filed a complaint at Vikasnagar police station on 28 June 2024.

How he was traced. Amar Ujala reported that police uploaded the photo from the fake Aadhaar card to the NATGRID portal, which helped identify him and locate him in Saharanpur. The report named five others in the case: Gurubachan, Manus, Kamal Singh, Chaman Kumar and Puran Singh.

Not the first case of its kind. Garhwal Post reported in June 2024 that Rajpur police arrested three men who presented a 677.25 sq m plot on Rajpur Road with a fake owner standing in for the real one, and took ₹80 lakh in cash plus two cheques of ₹1 crore each from the buyer. Doon Horizon reported in May 2026 that District Magistrate Savin Bansal found 150 registries done at the Vikasnagar sub-registrar office on Golden Forest land, which is under Supreme Court restriction.

What it means for buyers

This section is our view.

An Aadhaar card proves nothing on its own. It can be faked with any photograph. Before you pay a token, verify the seller's Aadhaar through UIDAI's own verification, match the PAN, and check that both names match the name in the khatauni (record of rights). Our post on PAN checks at registration explains the new rule at the registry.

Meet the owner where the owner lives. An owner who lives outside Uttarakhand, as in this case, is the easiest to impersonate. Ask for a video call from their home and a visit if you can, and speak to neighbours of the plot about who owns it.

Trace the title back, not just the last deed. Ask for every sale deed in the chain for at least 12 years. Check the khatauni, the mutation entries and the encumbrance record at the sub-registrar's office. If someone is selling under a power of attorney, confirm with the owner that it is still valid.

Check the khasra against the restricted list. In Vikasnagar especially, check whether the khasra is on the district's restricted list. Our post on Dehradun's 73 restricted khasras explains how, and our post on forged registries and ED arrests lists other checks.

Pay through the bank, to the owner's account. Do not pay cash, and do not pay into the account of anyone other than the owner on record.

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

Questions people ask

Who was arrested in the Vikasnagar fake Aadhaar land case?

Udit Kumar Verma of Saharanpur, on 14 October 2026, according to Amar Ujala. Police say he posed as the Faridabad-based owner of land in Harbatpur.

How did police find him?

Amar Ujala reported that police ran the photo from the fake Aadhaar card through the NATGRID portal, which helped identify and locate him.

How can I check that a seller is the real owner?

Verify Aadhaar and PAN through the official channels, match both to the name in the khatauni, trace the title chain, check the encumbrance record and meet the owner. Never rely on a photocopy alone.

Sources

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.