Pune: ₹33-Crore Fraud Uncovered In Sale Of Government Animal Husbandry Land Near Pimpri-Chinchwad's Wakad

Pimpri-Chinchwad: An incident of purchasing and selling 15 acres and 32 Gunthas (6.32 hectares) of government land belonging to the Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Department in Pimpri-Chinchwad's Tathawade (near Wakad) has been exposed. It has come to light that this land, owned by the Animal Husbandry Department, was registered by attaching old land records and 7/12 extracts.

Taking serious notice of this matter, the Revenue Department has initiated the process of taking action against the concerned Sub-Registrar for registering the purchase and sale deed of government land.

After the recent land transaction-related scandals reported in Pune District in recent times -- including the Mundhwa Mahar Watan Land Deal and the Bopodi Agriculture Department Land Deal -- this is yet another land transaction deal filled with irregularities and involving revenue department officials as accused.

According to a complaint filed by the Animal Husbandry Department at Dapodi Police Station under the limits of Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC), the sale of 6 hectares and 32 Gunthas of land in Group Number 20 of Tathawade came to light during an inspection by the department recently. The sellers represented this land as previously belonging to a man named Heramb Pandharinath Gupchup.

The Maharashtra Government alleges that the 7/12 extract for this land clearly states, "Possession by the Commissioner of Animal Husbandry, Ban on purchase/sale without prior permission of the Government." Despite this notation, the land was sold for ₹33 Crore by attaching the old 7/12 extracts and land records.

“The land was purchased by Kapil Chhotam Faqir and Syed Fayyaz Meer Ajimuddin. This purchase was registered on January 9, 2025, at the Sub-Registrar's office (Haveli Sub-Registrar 17) in Dapodi,” said a Revenue Department official.

As soon as the Animal Husbandry Department received information about the registration of the purchase and sale deed, they brought the matter to the attention of the Pune Divisional Commissioner, Chandrakant Pulkundwar. Following the Divisional Commissioner Pulkundwar's instructions to the Registration and Stamp Duty Department, this information was revealed during their investigation.

In 2023, the alleged landowner of the 15 acres in Tathawade executed a registered agreement to sell. At the same time, a request was submitted to the Tehsildar to record the heir's name on the land. At that time, the Tehsildar ruled that the land belonged to the Animal Husbandry Department.

The landowner filed a claim in the Bombay High Court against the Tehsildar's ruling. In 2024, the court ruled in favour of the landowner but noted that the Tehsildar had not followed the proper procedure.

According to available details, the court's judgement did not give any clear orders regarding the ownership rights of the land. Therefore, the name of the Animal Husbandry Department remained on the 7/12 extract. Following this, in January 2025, the landowner registered the deed by attaching the 7/12 extracts from 2023.

The matter came to light when the Animal Husbandry Department noticed the transaction. The Animal Husbandry Department has filed a complaint with the police seeking to register a case of fraud against 26 people, including the Sub-Registrar. They have also applied to the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) office to have the deed cancelled.

Farm Manager Amol Aher of the Government Animal Breeding Farm in Tathawade told the media, "The Animal Husbandry Department was unaware of the purchase and sale of the 6.32 hectares of its land in Tathawade. The matter came to light during the department's inspection. Accordingly, the Animal Husbandry Department has filed a complaint application with the Dapodi Police. We have also applied to the Inspector General of Registration to cancel this transaction."

Senior Police Inspector Mahadev Koli, in charge of the Dapodi Police Station, told The Free Press Journal, "A complaint application regarding this matter has been received at the police station. An inquiry is currently underway. A decision regarding filing a case will be made in the next few days after the inquiry."