App launched to prevent property fraud

RDA says biometric verification will now be mandatory for all transfers

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has introduced a new app to safeguard property buying, selling, and transfer transactions from fraud and deception across 13 housing schemes under its administration in the city.

As part of this initiative, biometric verification will now be mandatory for all property transactions, supervised by the RDA's Estate Management Directorate. The new system will also require the buyer's photograph to be placed on the transfer document, and a detailed map of the property—whether a plot or constructed property—will be attached to the transfer paperwork.

According to RDA sources, the introduction of biometric verification will ensure greater transparency and accuracy in property transactions, making the process more secure and minimizing the chances of fraud. The system is designed to be foolproof, further enhancing the authority's efforts to digitise and modernise property documentation.

RDA Director General Kinza Murtaza emphasised that this new system will make fraudulent transactions virtually impossible. "With the implementation of biometric verification and enhanced documentation, the possibility of deception in property transfers is eliminated," she said. The RDA has already digitised all property-related records, making this the next step toward safeguarding the interests of property buyers and sellers.

In a recent success, the RDA's Estate Management Directorate thwarted an attempt by an influential individual to illegally incorporate 18 marlas of valuable RDA-owned land in Civil Lines into their property.