Fake property dealer Caught "Red-Handed" for selling UK NRI's house

Attempt to sell NRI's house: Four held
6 Jul 2008, 0414 hrs IST,TNN
JALANDHAR, July 06, 2008

Four persons were arrested while trying to sell off a property belonging to a UK-based NRI, here, on Friday. Interestingly, the accused had the original papers of the house even as the owner was unaware of the entire transaction.

It was only a vigilant prospective customer who smelt a rat and got the accused arrested. The SHO of Division No. 4, Nirmal Singh, said Paramjit Singh, already in jail in a case of fake passports, had masterminded the cheating operation.

Lucky, a resident of Khurla Kingra, was approached by a man posing as a property dealer, who told him that a house in Urban Estate was on sale for a price lower than the market rate as its NRI owner was involved in 'kabootarbaazi' and desperately wanted to sell off the hosue to emerge out of bankruptcy. He was offered the house for Rs 1.25 crore while an advance payment of Rs 50 lakh was demanded for agreement to sell. However, Lucky became suspicious when he was not shown the house from inside. He visited the property again, and this time the housekeeper gave him the NRI, Gian Singh's UK number.

The cat was finally out when Lucky called up Gian, who told him that the property was not for sale and he had no clue about the entire episode. Lucky, who had reportedly paid Rs 50,000 to the accused, informed the police as the deal was to be signed in a hotel here on Friday.