Mumbai: Two brothers, who are involved in real estate work, were arrested for allegedly trying to grab and sell land owned by the state government and allotted to the Mumbai police. The accused were identified as Vasant Sham Gulhane, 50, and Rajan Gulhane, 45. The duo reportedly committed the offence at the behest of some developers who reportedly manipulated them for vested interests. Hence, more arrests are expected in the matter, said police sources.
Brothers claim fake land ownership documents provided to them by developer
According to the police, the Gulhane Brothers are permanent residents of Chedda Nagar in Chembur and their ancestors had several properties; some of which have been apparently acquired by the government. Few developers prodded the duo to lay their claim to such land parcels. “They (developers) convinced them that the government property originally belonged to them as it did to their forefathers years ago. One of the brothers was told to claim these lands and sell them to make handsome money, and they fell for it,” said a police official.
Accordingly, they tried their hands to 're-acquire' the land allotted to the Mumbai police for building the official residence of the additional commissioner of police, Deonar Division. During the interrogation, the brothers said that the fake land ownership documents were provided to them by a developer, said the official, adding that they refused that person.
The duo then erected a board on the property which read “trespassers will be prosecuted” and even submitted the bogus documents for taking over the possession. They submitted the application in May along with supporting documents, including the 7/12 extract. Such documents are sanctioned by a tehsildar, explained the official, mentioning that it's not made in a city like Mumbai. “This means they received it from somebody who has contacts in rural Maharashtra. We are probing this angle,” said the official.
On October 10, a suo motu FIR was registered under the Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 447 (criminal trespass), 465 (forgery) and 467 (forgery of security, will). The duo are currently in police custody.
