Eleven persons Booked in Bareilly for Allegedly Forging Documents to Register Government Graveyard Land as Waqf Property
Bareilly, UP — Police have filed a case against eleven individuals accused of preparing forged documents to illegally register a piece of government land, recorded as a graveyard in official records, as Waqf property.
The case was registered at the CB Ganj police station following a complaint by Puttan Shah, a local businessman and resident of Sarnia village, where the disputed land is located. The FIR names eleven accused, including six members from a single family, under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal intimidation, and forgery.
According to Station House Officer (SHO) Suresh Chandra Gautam, the land in question is officially listed as a graveyard in the village’s revenue records. “The accused managed to have the property fraudulently registered as Waqf land. An investigation is underway and evidence is being gathered,” Gautam said.
So far, no arrests have been made.
The complaint specifically identifies Sabze Ali, a trader from Sarnia village, as the prime accused. Shah alleged that Ali initially encroached upon a portion of the graveyard, prompting Shah and other villagers to raise objections. Rather than backing off, Ali is accused of forging documents and, in 2020, having a significant portion of the graveyard, including an area containing a grave and a dargah, wrongfully registered as the property of a charitable trust at the sub-registrar’s office in Bareilly.
Shah further claimed that Sabze Ali not only orchestrated the illegal registration but also appointed himself and several associates, including his family members, as trustees of the seized land, which covers approximately three bighas.
The dispute escalated when construction activities reportedly began on the site. Shah said that when he and other villagers objected, Ali verbally abused and threatened them. A civil suit over the matter was subsequently filed in court.
Shah also alleged that Ali later misrepresented the ownership status of the land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Lucknow, concealing the fact that the land was part of an ongoing legal dispute and that it was originally government-owned.
“Sabze Ali managed to get the land registered as Waqf property and appointed himself as president of the management committee formed by the Board,” Shah said. “He even included three of the co-accused as office bearers of this committee to gain complete control over the property.”
Police are continuing their investigation and say appropriate action will be taken once all the facts are verified.
