Ex-IPS officer arrested in industrial plot allotment fraud case

The Lucknow Police on Wednesday arrested a former IPS officer in connection with an alleged case of fraud and forgery related to the allotment of an industrial plot in Deoria district in 1999, officials said. According to the police, the accused, Amitabh Thakur, allegedly misused his official position as the then superintendent of police of Deoria to facilitate the allotment of an industrial plot by the District Industries Centre, in the name of his wife, Nutan Thakur, by using forged documents and false identities. The plot was subsequently sold for alleged monetary gain. DCP (Lucknow West) Vishwajeet Shrivastava said a complaint in this regard was filed by Sanjay Sharma, a resident of Rajajipuram, under the Tal Katora police station limits in Lucknow.

Former UP IPS Amitabh Thakur, who has been a whistleblower in many corruption cases, was arrested by UP Police after an FIR against him for allegedly alloting a commercial land using forged documents in 1999 during his tenure as then SP Deoria, was registered in Deoria district… pic.twitter.com/FVpo2X0yU6

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) December 10, 2025

As per report, Nutan Thakur had obtained allotment of Industrial Plot No. B-2 at the District Industries Center Deoria using a false identity “Nootan Devi,” a forged husband’s name “Abhijaat/Abhitap Thakur,” and a fake address in Sitamarhi, Bihar. The complaint alleged that multiple forged documents—including application forms, affidavits, treasury challans and transfer deeds—were created to deceive government departments. The plot was later sold using the couple’s real identities, keeping government departments, banks and other stakeholders “deceived for years.”

For a transparent probe, the DCP (West) constituted an SIT, under assistant commissioner of police, Chowk Raj Kumar Singh which conducted extensive verification in Deoria and Bihar, examined witnesses, and collected documentary evidence. With sufficient proof established, police arrested Amitabh Thakur from the Sitapur–Maholi border, said the police. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered on September 12, 2025, under sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 34 and 120B of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code.