LUCKNOW, Feb. 9 -- The Mohanlalganj police on Sunday claimed to have uncovered an audacious land fraud in which a gang allegedly "revived" a dead farmer on paper to sell his agricultural land, using forged Aadhaar cards, fake photographs, impersonators and even a bank account opened in the deceased's name.

The police arrested Harishankar alias Shankar, 32, a key operative who allegedly opened a bank account in the name of Avadhraj Singh, a farmer who had died on February 16, 2023, and used it to receive Rs.7.2 lakh from an unsuspecting buyer as part of the fraudulent deal.

"The case surfaced after Vimla Singh approached police alleging that agricultural land registered in her late husband's name had been illegally sold. Revenue records ...