A Punjab resident and his associates have been accused of duping a New York-based non-resident Indian by fraudulently selling his Gurugram plot for ₹10.7 crore. Police said the accused used a fake Aadhaar, PAN and a forged gift deed to pose as the NRI’s fictitious brother and execute the sale.
According to investigators, Manish Kumar, 45, who worked in the office of a commission agent in Ferozepur, forged documents to target Gaurav Narula. Narula has lived in the United States since 1982 and became an American citizen in 1997. He inherited the 810 sq m plot in Sushant Lok 1 from his father, Hans Raj Narula, who transferred the property to him in 1991.
The complaint stated that the accused prepared a fake gift deed dated June 3, 2024, claiming that Narula had transferred ownership of the plot to his ‘brother’ Manish Kumar. The fabricated deed was then registered at the Wazirabad sub-registrar’s office in Gurgaon. Police said the deed carried forged signatures and photographs of impersonators posing as Narula.
Investigators added that another person appeared as Gaurav Narula before the registrar’s office to execute the forged transaction, despite the fact that Narula has not visited India since 2020. The accused also used a forged Aadhaar card in Narula’s name, though the NRI never held the document, along with a false PAN number.
Once the deed was registered, Kumar allegedly sold the property to a third party for ₹10.7 crore. The fraud surfaced when a property dealer known to the Narula family alerted them about a suspicious transaction related to the Sushant Lok plot, which is currently secured with a boundary wall.
Police said that based on the complaint, a case was registered at the DLF Sector 29 police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with cheating, forgery, and impersonation. The investigation was taken up by the Economic Offences Wing 1.
Manish Kumar was arrested from Ferozepur on August 28. Police spokesperson ASI Sandeep Kumar confirmed the arrest and said further investigation is under way to trace the involvement of others in the conspiracy.
The case has once again highlighted the risks faced by NRIs who own property in India but live abroad for long durations. Officials said fraudulent sales using impersonation and fake documents remain a recurring problem in parts of Gurugram and other cities with high-value real estate.
A gift deed, as per law, is intended for voluntary property transfers without monetary exchange. It must carry correct details of the donor and recipient, and requires verification of identity. Legal experts say loopholes in document verification and impersonation checks at registrar offices often enable such frauds.
The Economic Offences Wing is now examining the chain of transactions and has begun efforts to identify the buyers who acquired the property after the forged transfer. Authorities said recovery of the property and further arrests will depend on the outcome of the inquiry.
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