Panvel Police Arrest Five In ₹2.29-Crore Land Fraud; Deceased Owners Allegedly Shown Alive Using Forged Documents

Navi Mumbai: The Panvel City Police have arrested five members of a land fraud racket that allegedly forged documents to show two deceased landowners as alive and fraudulently sold their 47-guntha plot at Karanjade for Rs 2.29 crore. The accused were arrested from Goa after remaining on the run for nearly five months. Police suspect the involvement of more persons in the conspiracy and have launched further investigations.

Fraud Involved Land Owned by Deceased NRI Brothers

The case pertains to Survey No. 81/2 at Karanjade, which was owned by Nathan Eliyahu Chincholkar, who died in 2011, and Shalom (Selim) Eliyahu Chincholkar, who died in 2016. Both had settled in Israel, where they passed away, while their legal heirs currently reside in Israel and the United States.

According to the investigation, prime accused Suraj Vasudev Shinde learnt that the landowners had died and their heirs were living abroad. He allegedly made his father, Vasudev Namdev Shinde, impersonate Nathan Chincholkar and his brother-in-law, Manish Manohar More, impersonate Shalom Chincholkar. The gang then prepared forged PAN cards, Aadhaar cards and other identity documents in the names of the deceased.

Forged Documents Used to Execute Sale Deed

Using the forged documents, the accused allegedly appeared before the Sub-Registrar's Office in Panvel and executed a sale deed in favour of CBD Belapur-based builder Prashant Patekar and his son, Shreyas Patekar. Police said the gang fraudulently obtained Rs 2.29 crore through the transaction.

After the offence was registered at Panvel City Police Station, Suraj Shinde allegedly fled with his family members and associates, frequently changing mobile numbers, hideouts and states to evade arrest. The investigation revealed that the accused stayed at hotels and lodges across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa.

Technical Surveillance Leads Police to Goa

Acting on technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, a team led by Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Powar under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Bala Kumbhar traced Suraj Shinde, Satish Shinde and Tejas Surve to a hotel at Thivim in Goa, where they were arrested with the assistance of the Goa Police. During interrogation, police learnt that Manish More was lodged in Colvale Central Jail in connection with a theft case, following which he was taken into custody. Vasudev Namdev Shinde was later arrested from Shirdhon near Dombivli.

Police have seized forged PAN and Aadhaar cards prepared in the name of Nathan Chincholkar. The investigation has also revealed that Suraj Shinde and Tejas Surve are accused in another cheating and forgery case registered at Uran Police Station. Tejas Surve was absconding in that case, while a non-bailable warrant had already been issued against Suraj Shinde by the Uran court.

"We pursued the accused for nearly five months across multiple states. Despite their repeated attempts to evade arrest by changing locations and identities, our team successfully traced and apprehended them using technical analysis and intelligence inputs. The investigation is continuing to identify other persons involved in the conspiracy," said Senior Police Inspector Bala Kumbhar of Panvel City Police Station.

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