Couple booked for Rs 1.05cr property fraud in Kharar

Mohali: In a major property fraud case, the Punjab State Crime Police have booked a couple for allegedly cheating multiple buyers of around Rs 1.05 crore by promising to sell the same house in Kharar to different persons.The accused, identified as Mamta Uppal and Himanshu Uppal, allegedly collected lakhs as earnest money from several buyers for a house in Ajit Enclave, before the property was registered in the name of another person and they went incommunicado.The case was registered at the State Crime police station, Mohali, on the basis of a Punjab Bureau of Investigation (PBI) fact sheet and complaints by multiple victims. The accused have been booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.According to police, the couple entered into multiple sale agreements between 2025 and 2026 for the same property, collecting amounts ranging from Rs 14 lakh to Rs 25 lakh from different buyers, taking the total alleged fraud to about Rs 1.05 crore.Victims alleged the accused kept delaying registration on various pretexts and later switched off their phones. They were found to have vacated the house on April 24, 2026, before fleeing the area.Investigations revealed that the property had already been registered in the name of another individual, despite agreements with several buyers.PBI AIG (Admin) Navneet Singh Bains said the case was found to be a cognisable offence, and further action will follow if more evidence or involvement of other persons emerges.Police said the probe is ongoing, with more disclosures and arrests likely.