Real estate land buying may be not a scam or sam ?

A person purchased land in Bangalore for 12 lakhs in 2024 without approvals, paying 4 lakhs upfront to a real estate company that assured obtaining approvals and refunding the amount if unfulfilled. After a year, the company provided two cheques of 2 lakhs each, withdrawable only by July 31, and delayed responding to requests for depositing them in August.