A land scam has surfaced concerning Ramnagar Estate’s 2.53-acre property at Bhagwan Bazaar in Chhapra. On the basis of fake documents, brisk construction has been done on the land, and 10-15 single- and double-story houses and a similar number of shops have already been constructed. While some shop owners say that they have built their shops themselves, others give credit to late Raja Manmohan Vikram Shah alias Ram Raja.
In spite of this encroachment, almost one bigha of land is vacant. The land also has an old court building and estate office, on which forged documents are allegedly being prepared as well. After a 1943 court-authorized family partition in Motihari, the land passed to Panchseeta Maharani, wife of Ram Raja. Since then, it has been unchallenged in the names of her descendants Shiv Vikram Shah, Narayan Vikram Shah, Hari Vikram Shah, and Manmohan Vikram Shah and subsequently, their children: Manohar Vikram Shah, Madhukar Vikram Shah, Dhananjay Vikram Shah, Meera Shah, and Sanjay Vikram Shah.
The land is duly registered in their names in the Chhapra Municipal Corporation and Sadar Land Registry. Land revenue receipts have been issued regularly till 2025, attested estate manager Vashishtha Tiwari. Additional Collector Engineer Mukesh Kumar, on the orders of the District Magistrate, has initiated a probe in detail. He is examining documents, serial use of the same deed number, forged signatures, buyer and seller names, document writers, witnesses, and the officials themselves.
The investigation has unearthed the participation of lawyers, doctors, local leaders, and land mafias. Fake documents were reportedly made by drawing references from Chhapra, Champaran, Varanasi, and other places. Amazingly, many fake documents were derived from official records that have vanished from the registry records. To avoid further meddling, digitization processes have been expedited.
Records from the year 1990 onwards, and up to 1968 in Chhapra, are already digitized. Previously, FIRs were lodged for such frauds regarding records of the years 1934, 1964, and 1983. Registrar Gopesh Chaudhary said that he has been committed to cleaning up the office since his appointment in July 2023 and is actively reporting irregularities to the authorities.
Also Read: Deadline For Pakistanis In India: What Happens If They Stay Behind?
