LUCKNOW, July 20 -- A retired assistant engineer from a state-run department has allegedly been duped of around Rs 1 crore by an organised group that forged documents of government land and sold it as private property, police said on Saturday. Following a complaint by the victim, an FIR has been registered at Mahanagar police station against nine individuals, including two witnesses linked to the fake documentation, confirmed Mahanagar station house officer (SHO) Akhilesh Kumar Mishra. According to the FIR, the complainant, SB Tripathi, a resident of Virat Khand in Gomti Nagar who retired in May 2023, was allegedly lured into the fraudulent deal by his former acquaintance, Devesh Dev Bhatt and a woman named Rita Rai. Tripathi was introduced to a plot near Munshipulia, reportedly spread over 9,200 square metres, which was claimed to be privately owned. Mohammad Azhar Sultan, who was introduced as the landowner, and his associates Ajay Kumar Dixit and Mohammad Siraj, allegedly told Tripathi that the land was being jointly sold by multiple co-owners through a power of attorney. Based on the claims, Tripathi paid around Rs 1 crore via bank transfers and cash between April and June 2024 to Sultan, Siraj, and Dixit, as stated in the complaint. However, when the documents were later verified with the Tehsildar and revenue officials in June, it was revealed that the land belonged to Hewett Polytechnic and was classified as government property. The sale deed and power of attorney documents, which were said to be registered with the Sadar sub-registrar, were found to be forged. Tripathi was allegedly threatened when he asked for his money back and was warned not to report the matter. He later came to know that the group was allegedly part of a larger gang involved in illegal arms trade and suspected child trafficking, the FIR added....