Kanpur Revenue Officer Caught in Land Scam—Linked to Assets Worth ₹50 crore

Key Points

Kanpur revenue officer Alok Dubey was found engaging in fraudulent land sales. He was linked to assets worth more than ₹50 crore along with 41 properties. Following an investigation by the District Magistrate and the police into the matter in September 2025, Dubey received a reprimand and was demoted from his position.

Dubey was a Kanungo – a local-level revenue official – in Kanpur district. A Kanungo is a supervising officer in charge of district level revenue collection, maintaining land records, and supervising Lekhpals – village-level revenue officers. Dubey worked in collusion with Lekhpal Aruna Dwivedi.

The investigation found that Dubey, along with Dwivedi, had manipulated land records and illegally facilitated the sale of land parcels. He had sold 40 parcels of land, spanning 8.6 hectares, between 2016 and 2024. He also forged documents and records to acquire land parcels, many of which were being contested in legal disputes. During the investigation, the Assistant Inspector General (Registration) traced properties worth ₹50 crore, across Kanpur, Delhi and Noida, back to Dubey and his family.

The investigation followed an FIR filed against Dubey and Dwivedi in February 2025, which had brought the whole incident to light. A Kanpur lawyer had alleged that a property of his, worth ₹5 crore, had been illegally transferred by his relatives using fake documents. He said that documents had been forged by his aunt, who conspired with Dubey and Dwivedi. The duo then registered the property in the aunt’s name without following due bureaucratic process. They subsequently sold the land to RNG Infra, a real estate company.

See Also: From Gurugram Flats to Chandigarh Lands: Haryana IAS and IPS Officers’ Property Boom

An initial probe confirmed the details, which led the suspension of Dwivedi and Dubey. A three-member inquiry committee – consisting of the ADM (Judicial), SDM, and ACP Kotwali – released a report in June 2025 detailing the extent of the scam.

Officials have since confirmed that Dubey has a history of engaging in land deals without permission. Kanpur residents have also alleged that Dubey, who had prior knowledge of an upcoming Ring Road project in the area, had purchased around 56 properties in the locality before land prices were revised.

What action is to be taken against Dwivedi is still being decided. The District Magistrate of Kanpur said, “Those involved in illegal land deals will not be spared.” He added that manipulation of land records erodes public trust.

The incident and response raise questions on the administration’s commitment to combatting corruption. How was Dubey able to get away with illegal dealing for so many years without any oversight? Is his punishment – a demotion and a reprimand – proportional to the weight of his crimes? Are there any systemic solutions being discussed to counter growing corruption across all levels of the bureaucracy? [Rh]

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