A novel land scam involving the illicit sale of government khas land under the guise of valid private land ownership documents has been uncovered in Jongol Salimpur, Chattogram.
Local authorities have pointed to Yasin, a top criminal listed by police, whose gang exercised absolute control over Jongol Salimpur and even killed a member of RAB (now SRB) during an operational raid in the area, as the mastermind behind the scheme.
Yasin used genuine deeds and mutation documents for privately owned land to attract unsuspecting buyers.
However, instead of handing over the private plots specified in the contracts, buyers were given physical possession of government-owned khas land located in a completely different plot.
Consequently, hundreds of residents who purchased land in good faith are now living illegally on state property without their knowledge.
Vast swathes of public land targeted
Data from the district administration indicates that the Jongol Salimpur mouza contains approximately 3,100 acres of government khas land.
For years, major portions of this territory remained under the illegal occupation of land cartels and violent groups, with the Alinagar section heavily controlled by Yasin and his gang.
Control of the area shifted dramatically on 9 March, when a joint force of nearly 3,200 personnel, comprising the Army, RAB, Police, and BGB, launched a massive operation to reclaim Jongol Salimpur.
Following the raid, Yasin and his key associates fled the scene and went into hiding.
Access to Jongol Salimpur is gained via a road cutting into the hills opposite the Asian University for Women along the Bayazid-Fouzdarhat Link Road in Chattogram city, with the settlement primarily split into two zones: Jongol Salimpur and Alinagar.
The mechanics of the deception
Preliminary investigations show that between 2018 and 2022, Yasin purchased legitimately owned private land in plots 201, 233, and 241 under Khatian No. 19 of Jongol Salimpur mouza (JL No 66).
He subsequently generated mutation khatians (Nos 1212, 1186, 1132, 1107, and 1291) against these acquisitions.
Armed with these valid ownership documents, Yasin targeted ordinary land buyers. Once payment was completed, buyers were directed to occupy plot no 203, which is government khas land, rather than the actual private plots listed on their deeds.
Buyers were encouraged to build homes and small industrial factories on the public property.
While buyers held legally sound deeds on paper, their physical properties were entirely illegal occupations, leaving many who performed initial due diligence in severe legal uncertainty regarding the true location and ownership of their homes.
Victims speak out
Victims of the scam recount similar experiences of deception and deliberate delay.
Abdur Rahim purchased 21 decimals of land from Yasin in 2018 for Tk12 lakh, but instead of receiving the purchased plot, he was instructed to occupy government khas land in plot 203 under the promise that formal paperwork would follow later.
In 2026, he was handed a deed transferring just one decimal of land from plot 201.
Another victim, Arman, was permitted to occupy government land in plot 203 as early as 2012, but in 2026 he finally received a registered deed for only four decimals of land in plot 201.
Victims further disclosed that signatures were executed at a legal practitioner’s office in the Chattogram Court Annex Building, where buyers were intentionally denied the opportunity to read the deeds before signing.
Exploiting boundary descriptions
Standard real estate deeds require a precise description of surrounding boundaries (chauhaddi) – including adjacent landholders, plot numbers, public roads, canals, ponds, and permanent infrastructure –to verify physical property locations and avoid future boundary disputes.
Investigators found that Yasin systematically falsified these boundary descriptions in the legal paperwork to conceal the mismatch between the written plot and the physical land assigned.
Official records show that on 17 September and 1 October 2026, Yasin executed 74 separate deeds detailing land transfers from various private plots.
According to these records, 66 deeds transferred 246.75 decimals of land in plot 201, seven deeds transferred 27 decimals in plot 233, and one deed transferred one decimal in plot 241.
Out of the 74 transactions, 27 deeds transferred individual plots of just one decimal, while 13 deeds transferred two decimals each.
Authorities’ response and future township plan
Local authorities have condemned the fraudulent operations, citing severe financial and social risk to citizens who bought into the scheme.
Chattogram Superintendent of Police Masud Alam stated that the government is not standing against the residents of Jongol Salimpur and urged citizens not to fall into Yasin’s trap.
He emphasised that the government is executing an integrated master plan to build a planned, modern, and safe township in the area that will generate thousands of local jobs.
Local residents will be prioritized in the new development, and those who cooperate with the government will be provided opportunities for legal housing, whilst warning that failure to cooperate could result in residents losing everything.
