Mumbai News: SIT Arrests City Survey Officer In Land Scam Probe; 5 Held So Far

Mumbai: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the large-scale tampering of land records in Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ) and No Development Zones (NDZ) arrested a city survey officer, deepening the ongoing land scam investigation.

On Thursday, officials arrested Anil Shankar Dabhode, 42, who was responsible for maintaining records and maps at the Goregaon city survey office. Dabhode is accused of facilitating the illegal manipulation of land records to benefit real estate developers, as per reports.

The case first came to light in 2016 when Malad-based farmer Vaibhav Thakur discovered that official records had been altered to misclassify protected coastal and no-development land as legally developable. However, it wasn’t until 2024 that the Bombay High Court ordered an SIT probe, which revealed a widespread scam where government officials allegedly colluded with developers to convert restricted land into prime real estate.

Dabhode's Collegaue Held Earlier In Connection With Scam

Dabhode’s arrest follows the detention of his colleague, Sambhuraj Vabhale, 47, who was apprehended on March 16. Initially the complainant in the case, Vabhale was later found to have played an active role in the scam. He was remanded to judicial custody on March 23. With Dabhode’s arrest, the number of accused in the case has risen to eight.

According to reports quoting police sources, Dabhode played a key role in falsifying property records in the ecologically sensitive Madh area of Malad West. Investigators found that from June 2018 to 2021, he was involved in altering original land survey maps to falsely depict illegal constructions as existing structures as of December 31, 2019. He was produced in court and remanded in police custody until April 1.

Authorities claim the manipulation of documents was systematic. Vabhale allegedly signed 22 forged maps and issued duplicate copies that bore the Goregaon municipal land survey officer’s signature. “The investigation revealed that Vabhale was instrumental in legitimizing fraudulent land claims,” a police officer told Hindustan Times. His lawyer, Sudhir Bhardwaj, however, argued in court that his client had been framed.

Case Triggered By Farmer’s Complaint

Vaibhav Thakur’s discovery of tampered government records led him to file an FIR against illegal constructions on his ancestral land. However, local authorities made little progress until he petitioned the Bombay High Court in October last year. This prompted the formation of the SIT, which has since registered four FIRs, three at Goregaon police station (one in 2020 and two in 2021) and one at Kherwadi police station.

The SIT’s probe has uncovered 165 forged land record maps, allegedly altered by a nexus of government officials, contractors and real estate agents. Many of these fraudulent documents were used to falsely establish that structures in Madh and Malad West had existed before 1964. Under a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) notification, buildings constructed before 1964 are legally protected from demolition. By exploiting this rule, corrupt officials and agents facilitated illegal land deals, securing approvals for unauthorized developments.

5 Arrests Made So Far

Since November 2024, the SIT arrested five individuals, including two city survey office peons, a contractor, a property owner and an agent. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule recently informed the Legislative Assembly that the SIT will also investigate the involvement of assistant municipal commissioners from the P-North, P-South, R-South, and R-Central wards.