Man arrested for selling Yakub Memon’s grave in Mumbai

The city police have arrested former trustee of Juma Masjid of Bombay Trust for allegedly selling the grave of Yakub Memon at the Bada Kabrastan in Marine Drive.

The city police have arrested former trustee of Juma Masjid of Bombay Trust for allegedly selling the grave of Yakub Memon at the Bada Kabrastan in Marine Drive. Memon was buried at this grave in July 2015 after being executed at the Nagpur Central prison for his role in 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts.

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Parvez Ismail Sarkare, 54 was arrested on Saturday and would be produced in court on Sunday, the police said.

According to the police, Sarkare was a trustee when certain Othhas (graves) at the Kabrastan were sold in an unruly manner last year. The Kabrastan is registered under the said trust.

The graves at the Kabrastan are properties of the Waqf Board and it can not be sold to anyone. It can be only allotted to any family for maintenance, but after following a due process, the police said.

Memon family has seven Othhas at the Bada Kabrastan. When the complainant, Mohammed Abdul Rauf Memon, cousin of Yakum Memon, early this year had gone to inquire about the annual maintenance fees for the Othhas he discovered that their four Othhas were sold to someone else. But the sale receipt had forged signatures.

Rauf then made the police complaint in March, but action could not be initiated against the accused due to lockdown. Now he has been arrested.

The accused has been booked under sections 465 and 468 of Indian Penal Code. One more accused is named in the FIR and likely to be arrested in the case, another police officer said.