Land Fraud in Patna: 8 Common Property Scams and How to Avoid Them

Short answer: most land fraud in Patna follows a handful of known patterns: a fake owner, the same plot sold twice, ancestral land sold behind the other heirs' backs, a forged or cancelled power of attorney, prohibited or mortgaged land, and one plot on paper but another on the ground. Almost every one of them can be caught before you pay, using government portals you can check yourself: Bihar Bhumi (jamabandi, mutation, mortgages) and e-Nibandhan (prohibited properties, encumbrance certificate). After you buy, switch on the jamabandi SMS alert so nobody can quietly push a mutation through on your land.

A typical case: someone working in Dubai is offered a 3 kattha plot in Phulwari circle "below market rate". The seller sends WhatsApp photos of the sale deed, a jamabandi screenshot and an Aadhaar card, and says: "Two other parties are interested, send ₹2 lakh token money today." That moment, the rush to pay against screenshots, is where most frauds happen. The eight checks below are for exactly that moment.

8 common land frauds in Patna at a glance

1. Fake owner: how to confirm the seller really owns the land

Here a person sells land in the real owner's name, sometimes with a fake ID. The real owner often lives outside Bihar, is elderly, or simply does not know. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 calls this "cheating by personation" (section 319).

• Open the jamabandi yourself on biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in: "जमाबंदी पंजी देखें" (view jamabandi register), choose district Patna, circle, halka and mauza, and search by khata/khesra or name. Match the raiyat's name, father's or husband's name and address with the seller's ID. A screenshot sent by the seller proves nothing.
• Meet the owner at their own home, not at a hotel or a broker's office. Ask neighbours who owns the land and who uses it.
• Ask how the seller got the land. If they bought it, see their sale deed and their mutation. Get a Certified Copy of that deed from e-Nibandhan and compare it with the paper copy you were shown.

Step-by-step jamabandi guide: check jamabandi, khatiyan and LPC online.

2. The same land sold twice: how to find out

A seller registers a deed to one buyer, then uses the fact that the jamabandi is still in their name to sell the same land again. It works when the first buyer never got the mutation done. Two official checks catch it:

1. Encumbrance Certificate: on enibandhan.bihar.gov.in, the Encumbrance Certificate shows registered transactions on that land over a period. If another deed for the same khesra appears after the seller's own purchase, stop.
2. Mutation applications filed on that plot: according to the Revenue Department, Bihar Bhumi's "दाखिल-खारिज आवेदन स्थिति देखें" (mutation application status) lets you pick district, circle and year, then mauza and plot (khesra) number, and lists every mutation application filed on that plot in the chosen financial year. If another buyer has already applied, it shows up here. Check the last 2-3 financial years too.

Full mutation process and deadlines: dakhil-kharij (mutation) online guide.

3. Ancestral land sold without the other heirs

Much of the land around Patna is ancestral, and the jamabandi often still runs in a grandfather's name. One heir says "this is my share" and sells the whole plot, or an undivided share. Later the other brothers and sisters challenge the sale, and the buyer is stuck in court for years.

• Ask for the vanshavali (family tree) and check whose name the jamabandi is in.
• Every co-owner must either sign the deed or have given up their share by a registered document.
• Never rely on "my sister has agreed verbally" or "uncle will sign later".

More on this in the complete Patna plot buying guide and in ancestral land partition in Patna.

4. A forged or cancelled power of attorney

Land owned by people living outside Bihar is often sold through a power of attorney. The fraud takes three forms: the POA was never made (forged), the owner has revoked it, or the owner has died.

• The POA must be registered and must clearly give the power to sell. Get its certified copy from e-Nibandhan and compare.
• Speak to the owner yourself on a phone or video call and confirm they are selling and that the POA is still in force.
• Wherever possible, have the owner named in the jamabandi execute the deed directly.

The safe way to use a POA when you are buying from outside: buying property in Patna from outside Bihar.

5. Prohibited land: registration or construction barred

Registration of some land is barred by government order. Brokers hide this, or demand extra money on registration day for a "small problem". On e-Nibandhan, "View Prohibited Properties" lets you choose the registry office, circle and village and see which land in that village is barred, the type of bar and whether it is still active.

Note that open registration does not mean you can build. In the villages of the Patliputra satellite township near Patna, registration continues but construction is barred. See Patliputra township: registry open, construction ban and the full village list.

6. Mortgaged land sold with the loan hidden

If the land already carries a bank loan, the bank's claim can survive the sale. Bihar Bhumi's encumbrance search lets anyone check, without logging in, whether a mortgage is recorded against a computerised jamabandi number. It only shows mortgages recorded online, so also take a written declaration from the seller, and if a loan is running, get the bank's closure letter (NOC) before the deed.

7. One plot on paper, another on the ground

This is common in Patna's new colonies: the deed is for a khesra at the back or in a low-lying patch, while the buyer is shown a roadside plot. The colony's "plot number" is the developer's own number; government records use the khesra number.

• Pull up that khesra and its LPM report on Bhu-Naksha, then match neighbouring khesras, the road and drains on site. How: Bhu-Naksha Bihar guide.
• For an expensive plot, get a government amin survey (e-Mapi).
• Khata vs khesra vs plot number explained: khata, khesra and plot number.

8. Token money scams and online fraud

"Pay the token today or another party will take it" is the single biggest warning sign. A cheap plot advertised on social media or a listing site, with a "booking amount" asked by UPI before any site visit, is another common scam.

• Until every check is done, pay only a small token, by bank transfer or cheque, into the account of the owner named in the jamabandi, never the broker's.
• Sign a written sale agreement that says the token is refunded if the papers turn out defective.
• If you have been cheated through an online payment, call 1930 at once or file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in (run by I4C, Ministry of Home Affairs). The sooner you report, the better the chance of the money being stopped.

Builder flats and plotted projects need a separate RERA check: flat buying checklist for Patna.

After you buy: protect your land with the jamabandi SMS alert

Fraud does not stop at the purchase. Sometimes a stranger files a mutation application to move your land into their name. According to the Revenue Department, the only way a jamabandi or khesra changes is through mutation (errors from the old digitisation are corrected through Parimarjan Plus). So keep watch with three things:

1. Turn on the SMS alert: on Bihar Bhumi click "SMS अलर्ट सेवा प्राप्त करें", log in with your mobile number (register first if new), choose district and circle, then enter halka, mauza, volume (bhag) and page number to find your jamabandi. Tick the plots you want (or "Check All"), click Proceed, enter the OTP and Submit. From then on you get an SMS when any mutation or Parimarjan Plus application on that khesra starts and when it is completed.
2. Get Aadhaar and the right mobile linked to your jamabandi: the Revenue Department says the linking is done by the revenue karmachari; if yours is not linked, contact your karmachari or circle office. After that, changes to your jamabandi and any mutation filed against it are sent to your mobile. Check the status under "Check AADHAAR / Mobile Seeding Status" with your computerised jamabandi number.
3. Check it yourself once or twice a year: the jamabandi register and the mutation application status for your mauza and khesra. If you live outside Bihar, make this a habit.

Note: according to the department's FAQ, there is no provision to "lock" a jamabandi against mutation. Your protection is the SMS alert and a timely objection.

Someone filed a mutation on your land? How to object online

The Revenue Department's FAQ says the circle officer issues a public and a special notice before ordering a mutation and waits 14 days for objections. File yours within that window:

1. On Bihar Bhumi click "दाखिल-खारिज वाद पर आपत्ति दर्ज करें" (file objection on a mutation case) and log in with your mobile number.
2. Choose district and circle, enter the mutation case number and year, click Next. If the details are right, click "File Objection".
3. Write your objection, attach PDFs of your papers (sale deed, jamabandi, rent receipt), click Proceed, enter the OTP and Submit.

Per the department, your objection becomes part of the case record and the circle officer cannot dispose of the case without hearing you. The hearing date is sent by SMS and by a physical notice. If the order still goes against you, you can appeal to the Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR) within 30 days of the order.

Where to complain about land fraud in Patna

The Saturday meeting: according to a Revenue Department notice, every circle in Bihar holds a joint meeting of the circle officer and the station house officer each Saturday at the police station. You can apply there if someone is extorting money over your land or occupying it illegally, or to get an order of a court or officer enforced.

Bihar Land Disputes Resolution Act, 2009: the department says the Act was brought in for summary disposal of such disputes within 90 days. The competent authority is the DCLR, and an appeal against the DCLR's order lies to the Commissioner within 30 days. Which law fits your case is best decided with a lawyer, papers in hand.

What should you do? (our advice)

• A cheap deal plus pressure to hurry means something is being hidden. Good land in Patna does not have to be sold "today".
• Do every check yourself straight on the government portals: jamabandi, mutation applications on that plot, mortgage, the prohibited list and the EC. Never rely on screenshots from the seller or broker.
• Pay only by bank, into the account of the owner in the jamabandi. Never large amounts in cash.
• Right after registration apply for mutation (within 90 days) and switch on the SMS alert for your new jamabandi. That is what closes the door on a second sale.
• If you live outside Bihar, along with a trusted relative, get an independent check done by someone who earns no commission on the deal.
• Full checklist: Patna plot buying guide. All land records in one place: Bihar land records online.

Land fraud in Patna: FAQs

1. How do I avoid land fraud in Patna?

   Before paying, check the jamabandi, any mutation applications on that plot and mortgages yourself on Bihar Bhumi; check the prohibited properties list and get an encumbrance certificate on e-Nibandhan; meet the owner at their home; and pay only a small token, by bank, with a written agreement.

2. How can I find out if a plot has been sold to two people?

   Get the encumbrance certificate from e-Nibandhan, which shows registered transactions. Also open "दाखिल-खारिज आवेदन स्थिति देखें" (mutation application status) on Bihar Bhumi, enter circle, year, mauza and plot number, and see whether someone else has already applied for mutation on that plot.

3. How do I set an SMS alert on my jamabandi?

   On biharbhumi.bihar.gov.in open "SMS अलर्ट सेवा प्राप्त करें", log in with your mobile, choose district and circle, find the jamabandi by halka, mauza, volume and page number, tick the plots and submit with the OTP. You then get an SMS when a mutation or Parimarjan application on that khesra starts and finishes.

4. Someone is getting my land mutated in their name. What do I do?

   File an online objection on Bihar Bhumi under "दाखिल-खारिज वाद पर आपत्ति दर्ज करें" using the case number and year, with PDFs of your papers. The circle officer waits 14 days for objections before ordering and cannot decide without hearing you. If the order goes against you, appeal to the DCLR within 30 days.

5. Where do I complain about land fraud in Bihar?

   For forged papers or a fake owner, file an FIR at the police station (offences such as BNS 2023 sections 318, 319, 336 and 340). For illegal occupation, apply at the Saturday meeting of the circle officer and SHO at the police station. For online payment fraud, call 1930 at once. To cancel a fraudulent deed, consult a lawyer.

6. Can I lock my jamabandi so nobody can sell my land?

   No. The Revenue Department's FAQ says there is no provision to lock a jamabandi against mutation. Instead, turn on the SMS alert and get Aadhaar and your mobile linked to the jamabandi, so you hear about any application at once and can object.

7. Is it safe to buy land through a power of attorney?

   Only if the POA is registered, gives the power to sell, its certified copy matches on e-Nibandhan, and you have confirmed with the owner yourself that they are alive and have not revoked it. Wherever possible, have the owner sign the deed directly.

This article is based on information available on 18 October 2026 on the Bihar Bhumi portal and in the citizen notices and FAQs of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department, Bihar, the e-Nibandhan portal, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and I4C (Ministry of Home Affairs). It is general information, not legal advice. In any case of fraud, consult a lawyer promptly, and before any deal confirm with the original papers, government records and the circle office.