Nagpur: Kalamna police have registered a case against three men for allegedly cheating 20 people by selling plots carved out of agricultural land despite an ongoing court dispute over its ownership.

The complainant, Subhash Prabhakar Uke (40), a daily-wage worker and resident of Vijay Nagar in Kalamna, approached police alleging that he and 19 others were duped in the plot transaction.

The accused have been identified as Dhanraj Shalikram Gautam (57), Ajay Chandrakumar Suryawanshi (56) and Ramesh Hemraj Harishkhede. According to police, Dhanraj was previously residing in the complainant’s locality, due to which the two knew each other.

Dhanraj allegedly showed Uke Plot No. 78 in a society and negotiated its sale, claiming that the three accused were partners in the layout. Uke and 19 others subsequently purchased plots through Dhanraj and made payments to the accused from time to time.

However, when the buyers demanded registration of their plots, the accused allegedly avoided the issue and instead handed them possession receipts, allegedly misleading them into believing that the plots would be registered.

The buyers later constructed tin sheds and began residing on the land. Subsequently, the original landowner, Satish Gharpende, allegedly informed them that he had won a court case concerning the agricultural land. He reportedly offered to register Uke’s plot in his name for ₹7 lakh.

Uke alleged that the accused had carved out and sold plots on the disputed agricultural land while the ownership case was pending, thereby financially cheating him and 19 others.

Based on Uke’s complaint, Kalamna police registered a case under Sections 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Further investigation is underway.