NAVI MUMBAI: The Nhava Sheva police are on the lookout for a gang that forged government documents to take possession of a 4.2-hectare land parcel belonging to the Custodian of Evacuee Property at Vidhane in Uran, and then sold it to multiple persons, after a complaint was registered by the circle officer of Jasai, Manish Chandrakant Joshi, on September 22.
The forgery came to light after the process of land acquisition had begun at Vindhane for the Virar-Alibag Multi-Modal Corridor (VAMMC) project. Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has acquired 360 hectare in the tehsil for the construction of an expressway connecting Raigad, Thane and Palghar.
The land acquisition officer (LAO) had published advertisements about issuing compensation to owners whose land was acquired for the project. Two persons staked a claim, prompting the officer to check the ownership details of the land. The inspection revealed that it was an evacuee property (land left behind by owners while leaving India during partition) and, thus, belongs to the state government. “Further investigation revealed that a fake allotment letter for the year 1985 was prepared by them and it was submitted before the Uran tehsildar in 2020, to get the land transferred to a bogus owner,” said a police officer.
Preliminary investigation by police revealed that the land was fraudulently transferred to a person named Gelaram Bhuromal. Then, a person named Benny Brian Dsouza presented himself before the tehsildar as Gelaram Bhuromal and got the land records transferred.
{{/usCountry}}Preliminary investigation by police revealed that the land was fraudulently transferred to a person named Gelaram Bhuromal. Then, a person named Benny Brian Dsouza presented himself before the tehsildar as Gelaram Bhuromal and got the land records transferred.
{{/usCountry}}Following the transfer, they created fake PAN card and Aadhar card, and opened bank accounts in the fake owner’s name. “The land was then registered against multiple names, who are now the accused in the case. Some parts of the land were sold to two persons, namely Haresh Hemani and Hardik Kataria,” said the officer.
Nhava Sheva police have registered a case against the accused - Benny Brian Dsouza, Rajesh Navik, Sanket Patil, Amar Misal and Santosh Marathe - under sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 474,120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).