UP's Shahjahanpur Assistant Municipal Commissioner arrested in Rs 101 crore Sambhal land scam

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested Shahjahanpur Assistant Municipal Commissioner Raj Kumar Gupta in connection with an alleged Rs 101 crore government land scam in Sambhal involving 38 bighas of land along the Sambhal-Moradabad State Highway.

Gupta, who served as the Executive Officer (EO) of the Sambhal Municipal Council in 2013, has been accused of refusing to represent the civic body before the High Court in a land dispute, allegedly enabling private parties to retain control of the government land.

The alleged scam surfaced after Sambhal District Magistrate Ankit Khandelwal and Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi ordered a fresh survey of the disputed land.

Based on a complaint filed by revenue official Sparsh Gupta, police registered an FIR against Gupta, 31 named accused, and several unidentified persons.

According to the investigation, the dispute dates back to 1967, when the municipal body allegedly granted fraudulent land leases outside its jurisdiction. Between 1991 and 2005, proceedings before revenue authorities consistently held that the land belonged to the government.

Investigators allege that the case took a turn in 2008 when the then Deputy Director of Consolidation (DDC), Khem Singh Khadak, passed an order in favour of the alleged leaseholders, allowing them to take possession of the land.

Authorities further claim that Gupta, while serving as EO in 2013, declined to pursue the municipality's case before the High Court after an appeal was filed against the DDC's order.

Police have alleged that the move was part of a conspiracy involving land mafia members and officials.

Following recent administrative action, the names of private landholders were removed from the revenue records under the DDC Court's directions.

The 38-bigha property, valued at around Rs 101 crore, has now been restored to the state government's ownership records nearly six decades after the dispute began.

Sambhal SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi said a case has been registered against 31 people, including Gupta, alleging that the former EO withdrew the High Court petition for personal gain, facilitating the sale of the land to private parties.

Police also said Gupta was booked in a separate alleged Rs 44 lakh embezzlement case in 2022 while serving in Shahjahanpur.

Investigations into other alleged irregularities during his tenure in Sambhal are ongoing, and the then municipal chairman has also been questioned.