In a bizarre and shocking case, a man in Gujarat was arrested for operating a fake court for five years. The accused, Morris Samuel Christian, was apprehended by Gujarat Police in Gandhinagar after running a fraudulent legal setup that passed counterfeit orders, mostly related to land disputes. The case has raised eyebrows as the man successfully operated the fake court without being detected for half a decade.
According to authorities, Christian posed as a court-appointed arbitrator, tricking clients into believing that his fake court was legitimate. He went so far as to establish a courtroom-like office, complete with fake court staff and lawyers. These accomplices played their roles convincingly, giving clients the impression that they were part of a genuine legal process.
The scam was sophisticated. Christian charged fees from his clients, offering to resolve their legal disputes and deliver judgments in their favor. This arrangement lured individuals, especially those involved in land disputes, into believing they were getting a fair legal resolution.
How The Fraudulent Court Was Exposed
The conman’s operation came to a halt when he issued a fake judgment in a land dispute involving a piece of government-owned property. A private individual had laid claim to the land, and Christian, masquerading as an arbitrator, ruled in favor of the claimant. He even went so far as to issue an “official” order instructing the district collector to include the claimant’s name in the land’s revenue records.
To strengthen the legitimacy of the bogus ruling, Christian filed an appeal through another lawyer in the city civil court, attaching the fake order he had issued. However, this move backfired when the real court discovered that neither Christian was an official arbitrator nor was the judgment from any recognized tribunal. His elaborate ruse unraveled, and he was promptly arrested.
Legal Action Against The Accused
Christian is now facing serious charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He has been booked under IPC Section 170 for impersonating a public servant and Section 419 for cheating by personation. The police are continuing their investigation to uncover the full scope of his operations and identify any other individuals involved in the scam.
Past Similar Cases In Gujarat
This case is not an isolated incident in Gujarat. Last year, a similar scam was unearthed in the Chhota Udepur district, where a conman established a fake government office and swindled approximately Rs 4 crore in government funds. The man, posing as a bureaucrat, managed to deceive people and misappropriate funds for a significant period before being caught.
Another shocking scam from Gujarat occurred in 2023 in the Morbi district, where a group of villagers operated a fake toll plaza for 12 years. The scammers collected around Rs 75 crore from unsuspecting vehicles as toll fees before the scheme was exposed.
MUST READ | Jharkhand: 24 Years, 13 Governments, And The Seven Leaders Who Shaped Its Political Landscape
