Ex-army man duped of ₹51 lakh in fraudulent land deal in Chandkheda

A former armyman from Chandkheda was duped of ₹51 lakh by three men who forged property documents and falsely promised to sell him a plot. The Chandkheda police have registered a case in the matter and begun investigation.

The complainant, Hemrajbhai Rabari (41), a former Indian Army personnel, stated that the incident began in 2020, shortly after his retirement. While residing in Chandkheda with his family, he came in contact with a man named Darshangiri Goswami, who claimed to know of a lucrative land investment opportunity in Chandkheda’s TP Scheme No. 44.

Goswami then introduced Hemrajbhai to three others: Manish Patel, Ashok Oza, and Maldev Bharwad. The trio showed him documents related to a 7,443 sq m plot of land in Motera, claiming that the rightful owner, Khailashben Soni, had granted power of attorney to Maldev Bharwad through a notarised document.

Convinced by the documentation and the assurance of the trio, Hemrajbhai agreed to purchase the land for ₹51 lakh. He first transferred ₹15 lakh from his bank account on May 21, 2020 to an account allegedly held by Manish Patel’s firm. Over the following weeks, he made additional payments totalling ₹36 lakh—partly via bank transfers and partly in cash.

However, as time passed, the promised documentation was not delivered. Growing suspicious, Hemrajbhai later discovered a public notice in the newspaper warning against fraudulent claims on the land. When he confronted the accused, they tried to placate him with assurances and even issued several post-dated cheques. Some of it bounced, and others were never honoured.

Upon further inquiry, Hemrajbhai discovered that the power of attorney shown to him was forged, and the land did not belong to the individuals involved. Despite repeated attempts to recover his money and settle the matter amicably, the accused failed to refund the amount.

Following this, Hemrajbhai approached the police and filed a complaint when everything failed. The FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating, forgery, and criminal breach of trust. The investigation is now underway, and no arrests have been reported so far.