The Realty sector is awash with con-men selling gullible people property using fake titles and deeds and then vanishing from the scene

* Are you planning to buy land in order to build your dream home?
* Are you aware of the kind of precautions one is required to take before 'sealing a deal?
 More often than not, it has been seen. that while buying land, people are hardly aware about a clean title and deed for the' land, among other issues involved. And, sadly; owing to this cardinal ignorance, many people are trapped by shady characters and incur 'huge losses. Recently; newspapers and news channels reported how some unscrupulous characters sold Army land in Faridabad to gullible people and made off with their life savings.

As the realty sector booms, many dubious characters are on the prowl to loot people. The land and building racket department of Delhi Police's -Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has recorded a 40% hike in land-grabbing cases through impersonation in 2009. In Gurgaon too, at least 50 cases of fake deals were registered in 2006 as against 82 in Delhi. In 2009, nine complaints of land and building scam have been received at EOW in Delhi while the figure was 58 in 2005.

Needless to say people invest in land either for constructing of a home in the near future, or for speculative gains. There is nothing wrong in this kind of thinking, but there is an urgent need to be extra cautious while invest­ing in land, as land dealings are complicated and the authorities have little control over the haphazard development of residential layouts.

If you are planning to buy a site, select a layout which is approved by the local authorities, and there too, select the specified site approved for sale. Collect copies of property documents and various approvals obtained by the developer and engage an expert lawyer to verify the title to the property.

If the layout is large, a developer may not part with copies of property documents and in such a case, collect copies of project approval letters issued by banks and home finance companies (HFCs). Engage the services of an advocate for verifying the original title deeds to ensure that the developer. has not mortgaged the property for getting his project finance. If project finance has been obtained, engage your advocate to verify original title deeds at the particular bank or HFC, which granted the project finance. Ensure the release of the mortgage on the property selected by you,' before sale deed is registered' in your favour.

As fake documents and fabricated approvals are in circulation, engage your advocate for visiting DC's office to verify the approvals obtained by the developer.

Select a layout which is fully developed, even if the cost is 10-15% more compared to other layouts under development; this will end uncertainty whether the developer will be able to complete the project, as promised, within the specified timeframe and prevent months of anxiety and heart­breaks for you.

Don't get carried away by the attractive price quoted (maybe, even 50% less when compared to neighbouring layouts approved by the local bodies) and assurances for approvals in the near future by a builder who has developed the layout using short cut and select only an ap­proved layout.

Talking about the national capital, it has been observed that high-value properties in the posh South Delhi colonies are a target for several such crimes. The main victims in these cases are the people who buy the property and not the bona fide owner. The owner gets the sale deed based on forged papers cancelled. Though he faces harassment, the true loser is the person who has bought the property from the fake owners. He is forced to return it and he loses money.