A major land fraud worth nearly Rs 2 crore has been unearthed in the state capital by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), involving the fraudulent usurpation of 12.46 acres of agricultural land from a local farmer. The investigation has revealed that the land was deceitfully transferred through forged documents and financial manipulation, orchestrated by a firm called Trident Multiventures.
The three key accused in the case — Rajesh Sharma, Deepak Talusani, and Rajesh Tiwari — have been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. The victim, Chintamani Singh Maran, a resident of Ratibad, had his agricultural land legally registered in his name after a High Court order. However, he was lured into a fraudulent deal by Rajesh Sharma, who approached him with an offer to help transfer and sell the land. The accused convinced Maran to open a new account at ICICI Bank, claiming issues with his existing Bank of India account.
Without the knowledge of the the victim, the mobile number and email ID used for the new account were controlled by Rajesh Tiwari, allowing the accused to gain full access to the account. Fraudulent transactions soon followed, with a fake transfer of Rs 2.86 crore appearing in the newly created account, although only Rs 81 lakh actually reached Maran. The remaining funds were systematically redirected to an IDFC Bank account controlled by Rajesh Tiwari, using OTPs and passwords acquired through the fraudulent mobile number and email.
To further deceive the registry office, the accused presented three cheques for Rs 22 lakh each during the land registration process. However, these cheques were later stopped from payment, ensuring that no actual money was transferred.
Rajesh Sharma, the alleged mastermind, opened the fraudulent account and orchestrated the entire scheme, while Deepak Talusani, the authorized signatory of Trident Multiventures, had his name used in the forged land registry documents as the buyer. Rajesh Tiwari, acting as the technical handler, operated the fake account and carried out the transfer of funds using stolen credentials.
An FIR has been filed against the accused under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged documents), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act for identity theft and cheating using computer resources.
The EOW continues to investigate the case, focusing on tracing additional assets and potential accomplices involved in the racket. Authorities have issued a warning to the public to exercise caution when dealing with land transactions and banking procedures to avoid falling victim to similar fraudulent schemes.