The Most Common Land Fraud Types
**Type 1: Court-attached land.** A property with a court injunction or attachment cannot legally be sold. But sellers may do so anyway, producing a clean-looking set of documents. The attachment may not show in the EC if it was filed after the EC was obtained.
**Detection:** Get EC directly from SRO online portal on the date of registration (not weeks before). Ask the sub-registrar to check court attachment records on the day. Also check with the relevant civil court for any pending orders mentioning the survey number.
**Type 2: Benami property.** The registered owner is a nominee; the real owner is someone else. The nominee-owner may sell without the real owner's knowledge or against their will. Common in family property disputes and politicians' estate management.
**Detection:** Interview the registered owner independently (without the seller present). Verify that the registered owner's identity matches the person you're meeting (Aadhaar-based authentication at SRO helps). Check if the property was recently transferred (within 2 years) — multiple recent transfers are a red flag.
**Type 3: Agricultural land sold as DTCP-approved.** Seller shows fake DTCP approval documents. The actual land use is agricultural and the "layout" doesn't exist in DTCP records.
**Detection:** Check the DTCP approval at the district DTCP office (not from seller copy). The approval letter should have a unique approval number verifiable in the department's register.
**Type 4: Sold to multiple buyers.** The same land is sold to two or more buyers simultaneously — usually with fabricated duplicate title documents.
**Detection:** Register your purchase promptly. The first registration in time has priority. Delay between sale agreement and registration is a risk window. Also: an EC run on the date of your registration will reveal any registration by another party.
**Type 5: Encroachment on roads/reserves.** The plot encroaches on the village panchayat road, poramboke (government land), or water body. Appeared clean in records but physical location is on government land.
**Detection:** FMB (Field Measurement Book) sketch comparison with physical measurement by a licensed surveyor. Cross-check survey number boundaries with the FMB at the Survey Department.
The Non-Negotiable Prevention Checklist
1. Get EC directly from SRO portal (not from seller) 2. Verify patta at tahsildar office 3. Cross-check DTCP approval at district DTCP office 4. Commission an independent lawyer (not the seller's) 5. Do physical measurement by a licensed surveyor 6. Register within the shortest possible time after agreement