Former sarpanch arrested in Raigad land forgery case

Former sarpanch of Korlai village, Prashant Misal, has been arrested on charges of cheating and forging land records of a nine-acre plot allegedly owned by the Uddhav Thackeray family. Misal had been on the run since the FIR was registered against him on February 23. The other accused got anticipatory bail, while Misal did not. The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

A former sarpanch of Korlai village in Raigad district has been arrested on charges of cheating and forging the land records of a nine-acre plot at Revdanda, which is allegedly owned by the Uddhav Thackeray family.

Former sarpanch arrested in Raigad land forgery case

The accused, Prashant Misal, 56, had been on the run ever since the Revdanda police registered an FIR against him, three former sarpanchs, and three former gramsevaks on February 23. The local crime branch (LCB) arrested Misal on Monday night.

“We received information about his visit to Revdanda and accordingly, we laid a trap and arrested him,” police inspector Dayanand Gawade from LCB said.

Police inspector Prakash Sakpal from Murud police station, who is the investigating officer, said while the other accused got anticipatory bail, Misal was not granted one. “He was the former sarpanch and had used his power to make changes in the documents. We are investigating the case further.”

According to the complaint filed by Sangita Laxman Bhangre, the BDO of Murud panchayat samiti, the seven accused holding office between 2014 and 2019 had allegedly colluded and tampered with the land records of 19 structures on the nine acres owned by Anvay Naik, an interior designer. Naik died by suicide in 2018.

The complainant said that Naik had taken permission from the grampanchayat to construct concrete houses on it. On April 30, 2014, Naik sold the plot to a second party who has not been named in the FIR.

As per 16(1) of Maharashtra Grampanchayat Tax and Fee rules, the seller should have informed the grampanchayat about the property sale within one year of the land purchase agreement being signed, the BDO said. However, the grampanchayat recorded the transaction five years later, on May 23, 2019, the complainant alleged.

The complaint said that the seven accused had misused their official positions and helped the unnamed buyer make changes in the documents in order to save taxes.

The case was registered under section 420 (cheating), 465 (punishment for forgery), 466 (forgery of record of court or of public register), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code.

Apart from Misal, the other accused mentioned in the FIR are the then gramsevaks Devangana Vetkoli, Vinod Minde and Vedika Mhatre and the then sarpanchs Govind Waghmare, Reshma Misal and Reema Pitkar.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that Naik had sold the land to the Thackeray family and the then grampanchayat members had tampered with the documents to conceal the transaction.