Aagya Khabar
Mahottari

A serious case of land fraud has surfaced at the Gaushala Land Revenue Office in Mahottari, where land was sold under the name of a deceased individual using forged documents. The incident, reportedly involving collusion between land revenue officials and land mafia, has led to illegal transactions and revenue losses for the state.

On Asar 6, 2081 BS, Ramnarayan Mahaseth, the ward chairperson of Gaushala Municipality–4, recommended the sale of a land parcel registered in the name of Mahesh Chaudhary, who had already passed away on that date. Despite being classified for agricultural use and lacking a public access road, the land—located in Shivbhakti Khor–2 (subplot ‘kha’), plot number 183, measuring 5 aana and 12.5 dhur—was transferred to Ranjit Kumar Sah of Samsi Rural Municipality–4 for NPR 1.135 million on Asar 8, based on fake documentation.

Violation of Legal Procedure in Cash Transaction

Nepalese law mandates that land transactions must be conducted via bank transfer, with the payment voucher submitted to the Land Revenue Office. However, it was revealed that this transaction was carried out in cash. Moreover, the seller’s citizenship was not verified, the payment was not deposited into a bank account, and false information was used. The case reportedly involved the collusion of document writers and land revenue employees.

Ownership Transferred Back to the Deceased

According to Gaushala Land Revenue Office Information Officer Bishnu Kumar Mahat, the sale was attempted on three separate occasions—on Asar 6, 8, and 9. Later, on Asar 16, the office canceled all transactions. With the cooperation of the buyer, ownership was reverted back to the deceased Mahesh Chaudhary. The seller has not yet been identified and is currently absconding.

Similar Attempt via Jaleshwar Land Revenue Office

Mahat also stated that attempts were made to sell other plots owned by Mahesh Chaudhary through the Jaleshwar Land Revenue Office. However, due to a lack of financial agreement between the buyer and seller, the ownership transfer was ultimately reversed.

This incident highlights serious systemic flaws, a lack of oversight, and deep-rooted corruption within the land registration system. The act of fabricating documents to buy and sell land in the name of a deceased person is a grave offense. There is growing public demand for a thorough investigation and strict action against those responsible.