Janjgir-Champa:
A man accused of defrauding a woman of several lakhs of rupees under the pretext of selling land has been arrested by police after being on the run for months. The accused, identified as Shankarlal Khunte, has been formally arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
According to police sources, Khunte, along with his associates, allegedly executed a fraudulent land deal involving a disputed property in the village of Kurma. Despite the land being under a mortgage with a bank, they made a false agreement to sell it to the complainant, Mrs. Lata.
The accused allegedly submitted a sworn affidavit to convince the buyer and accepted an advance payment of ₹4.5 lakh. However, the land was never registered in her name. When Mrs. Lata demanded her money back, she was allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and threats.
Following her complaint, an FIR (Crime No. 403/24) was registered at Baloda police station on 12 November 2024, under Sections 294 (obscene language), 506 (criminal intimidation), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (fraud), and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code. After the FIR, the main accused absconded.
Persistent efforts by the police led to Khunte’s arrest from his residence. During interrogation, he confessed to committing the fraud along with his accomplices. He has now been sent to judicial custody as the investigation continues.
The operation was led by Baloda Police Station in-charge Inspector Rajeev Srivastava and Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar Sah.