Kaushambi: Alive man shown dead, fake son sells land worth over ₹1 crore

A 65-year-old man from Kaushambi district was allegedly declared dead in official revenue records. An “official” son he never had was then shown as his legal heir and his land, reportedly worth over ₹1 crore, was quietly sold off through a registered deed without his knowledge.

The case emerged from Sokhada village under Chail tehsil, where Ekhlaq Ahmed, the rightful landowner, discovered that his property had been transferred after records falsely showed him deceased. The alleged heir, Manzoor Ahmed of Mahgaon, reportedly exploited a name similarity with his own late father to claim inheritance and establish ownership over the land.

According to the complaint, Manzoor Ahmed allegedly altered revenue records to reflect Ekhlaq Ahmed’s death and projected himself as the legal successor. With the documentation in place, he allegedly sold the land on June 26, 2025, through a registered sale deed to Sufiya Kazmi. The transaction was formalised with two witnesses, Majid Kamal Jafri and Farhan Qamar, while lawyer Mohd Masroor Shahrukh allegedly facilitated the process at the Chail tehsil court.

Officials said the paperwork appeared complete on record, allowing the transaction to pass scrutiny at multiple levels. However, the entire process was allegedly based on forged entries, as the actual landowner was alive and unaware of the developments.

The matter came to light in the first week of April when the purchasers arrived to take possession of the land. It was then that Ekhlaq Ahmed realised that not only had his land been sold, but official records also showed him as deceased, effectively stripping him of his ownership rights. He then approached Amit Pal Sharma, district magistrate (DM) and Satyanarayan Prajapat, superintendent of police (SP), seeking action.

Meanwhile, Kaushambi DM said the fraud was first flagged by a lekhpal who noticed discrepancies during routine verification. “The matter came to my knowledge. I summoned the papers and the fraud was evident, though neatly done. If not examined properly, it could have gone unnoticed. I have ordered an in-depth investigation and directed the ADM to suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future,” he said.

Following the directions, Sandipan Ghat police registered an FIR on Sunday against five accused under sections 319 (2), 318 (4), 338, 336 (3) and 340 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), covering charges of forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Abhishek Singh, ACP Chail, said a fraud of this nature allegedly points to possible collusion. “Such manipulation of records cannot happen without involvement at multiple levels. The role of tehsil staff is being examined,” he said, adding that investigators are looking into how official documents were processed despite discrepancies.

Police said the main accused, Manzoor Ahmed, is currently absconding, while efforts are underway to trace all five named accused, including the buyer, witnesses and the lawyer linked to the transaction.

Indradev, SHO of Sandipan Ghat police station, said, “We are searching for all five named accused and soon they will be arrested.”