A gang was attempting to sell two plots belonging to an NRI couple living in the US.
Gurugram. Police busted an international gang and arrested one of the accused at Delhi Airport on Monday night for fraudulently selling two plots belonging to an NRI couple living in the US. To sell the plots, the gang created a fake son in Switzerland, forged a General Power of Attorney (GPA), and even obtained passports for the couple from France. The arrested accused was identified as Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Hayatpur Roorkee village in Punjab’s Nawanshahr district. He was deported from London after his visa expired.
Gurugram police were already working with central agencies to apprehend the accused. Based on a complaint from victim Vivek Bhatnagar, the Economic Offences Wing-1 investigated the case. The Sadar police station has now registered an FIR. The victim had complained to the Police Commissioner about the matter via email. In his complaint, he stated that he lives in the US. He and his wife have two plots in their name in Sector-31 of Gurugram.
On September 4, 2021, he received a call from a property dealer. The dealer informed him that he had paid his son, Karan Bhatnagar, ₹15 lakh in advance for both plots and that ₹1 crore would be transferred to his bank account. He also told him that he had no son and asked him not to deposit the money. This property dealer sent him a fake GPA, possession letter, and a photo of a fake passport. The victim stated that he had not issued any power of attorney in the name of the person shown in the documents and that he did not have a son.
Upon filing a complaint with the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HSVP), he learned that Karan Bhatnagar had transferred the plot to Lakhwinder Singh. He received photos of Lakhwinder Singh and Karan Bhatnagar from the HSVP. Subsequently, he received a call from another property dealer offering to sell the plots. These individuals were repeatedly trying to sell his plots by changing his name. Upon receiving the complaint, the Economic Offences Wing-1 began investigating the matter. The team took action and raided the home of accused Lakhwinder Singh. The raid revealed that the accused had moved to the United Kingdom in 2022. Following this, the police contacted central agencies. On Thursday, when the accused arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport from London, the police team arrested him there.
Fake GPA Registered Through Embassy
Interrogation of the accused revealed that another person, posing as the complainant’s son (Karan Bhatnagar), obtained fake passports for him and his wife from France. A General Power of Attorney was registered in Switzerland based on those passports. This fake GPA was then brought to India through the embassy and registered at the District Deputy Commissioner’s office.
These documents were then submitted to the HSVP department. Based on the fake GPA, Karan Bhatnagar came to the HSVP office in March 2021 and registered a transfer permit in Lakhwinder Singh’s name. The accused stated that this plot was transferred by Karan Bhatnagar. He had been repeatedly attempting to sell this plot in 2021 and 2022 based on the transfer permit, but was unsuccessful. In October 2022, the accused’s wife went to the United Kingdom on a student visa, and he went on his wife’s dependent visa. He was deported from London when his dependent visa expired in September 2025.
Police spokesperson ASI Sandeep stated that the accused were attempting to sell the plot. The team is making efforts to locate the other accused. The accused is being questioned about his accomplices. The court has remanded the accused to three days’ custody.
