DEA local resident of Dehradun, Ghanshyam, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined ₹6,000 by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Syed Gufran on Monday for fraudulently selling the same piece of land twice. In case of non-payment of the fine, the convict will serve an additional one-month imprisonment.

The case stems from a complaint filed on December 9, 2017, by Ritesh Khatri at the Premnagar police station. Khatri stated he purchased a 1,115-square-meter plot in Dhaulas on April 17, 2014, from Ghanshyam, with two others — Poonam and Gaurav — also party to the deal. The land was legally registered in Khatri’s name at the Vikasnagar Tehsil, reported Jagran News.

However, Khatri later discovered that the same plot had already been sold to another individual, Yusuf, on September 2, 2013 — eight months prior to his own transaction. Following this revelation, police initiated an investigation, and a charge sheet was filed against Ghanshyam under charges related to fraudulent land registration and falsification of documents.

During court proceedings, Assistant Prosecution Officer Somika Adhikari argued the case for the prosecution. While the court acquitted Ghanshyam of charges related to creating fake government documents, it found him guilty of land fraud under applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The co-accused, Poonam and Gaurav, were not charged further after a mutual settlement was reached with the complainant.

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