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Dead men, fake heirs: Yerawada cops bust land grab racket targeting prime plots
The racket came to light after an FIR was registered on February 18, 2026, based on a complaint by New Delhi resident Abhinav Shrikishan Kotru (50)
Editor's note: The allegations relating to SK Agrofood Tech Pvt. Ltd. mentioned in this report are currently under investigation by the Yerawada Police and the matter is pending adjudication before the competent legal authorities.
No court of law has, as of date, returned any finding on the allegations and the company has denied wrongdoing and asserted its innocence through a legal notice sent to Hindustan Times.
The Yerawada police unearthed a land-grabbing syndicate that allegedly targeted properties of deceased individuals, arresting the suspected mastermind and two accomplices for attempting to usurp prime real estate near Aga Khan Palace using forged documents and impostors, a senior officer said on Saturday.
The racket came to light after an FIR was registered on February 18, 2026, based on a complaint by New Delhi resident Abhinav Shrikishan Kotru (50). He alleged that two plots measuring a total of 1,078 sq metres, located opposite the Aga Khan Palace in Yerawada and owned by his late uncle Brij Kishan Kotru, were fraudulently transferred by the accused.
A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
During the investigation, police first detained Wazir Azmuddin Shikalkar from Satara on March 18. Interrogation revealed he had been used as a front for SK Agrofood Tech Pvt Ltd, allegedly created to facilitate illegal transactions and give it a veneer of legitimacy.
The probe gained pace when police traced the impersonator who posed as the deceased property owner. Acting on a tip-off, officials arrested 74-year-old Balkrishna Laxman Dixit from Rasta Peth. During questioning, Dixit admitted he had agreed to impersonate the deceased owner and sign property transfer documents in exchange for money. Police said he was in a vulnerable financial condition following personal setbacks and was allegedly exploited for the fraud.
Based on his confession, police arrested the alleged mastermind, Sunil Kadam, after a four-hour trap in the Shivajinagar area on April 15. He was later identified as Milind Laxman Bhusari (61), a resident of Sadashiv Peth, and was remanded to police custody till April 21.
Explaining the modus operandi, SPI Anjum Bagwan, in charge of Yerwada police station, said the gang specifically targeted properties of deceased individuals with no immediate claimants or legal guardians. “Once a property was identified, the mastermind would search for poor, needy and solitary individuals who bore a resemblance to the deceased. Fake identity documents such as Aadhaar cards were then created to present these impostors before authorities and execute fraudulent sale deeds,” she said.
Police said the racket operated in an organised manner with clear role divisions, from identifying properties to arranging impostors and preparing forged documents. Investigators are now probing whether similar attempts were made in other parts of Pune and adjoining areas, and whether more individuals are involved.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Additional Commissioner of Police (East Region) Manoj Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Chilumula Rajnikant, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Yerwada Division) Sunil Jaitapurkar.
The investigation team included officers from Yerwada police station and technical staff, with call data record analysis playing a key role in tracking and arresting the accused.
