Mumbai: A 67-year-old man from Borivali lost Rs27.8 lakh to an acquaintance who claimed to resolve his land issue with the help of connections with Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. The accused was identified as Shaikh Gaus, a Hyderabad resident.
According to the police, the matter dates back to 2017 when Ahmad Kotwal received power of attorney related to 1500 acres of land from his relatives. The senior citizen said that the land located in Solapur district was illegally possessed hence he was trying to resolve the issue. Given the official formalities, Kotwal frequently visited the tehsildar office where he met Gaus.
Accused stopped responding to calls after taking large sum of money
As the duo visited the office oftenly, they became friends and Gaus offered assistance to resolve Kotwal's issue. The accused assured the elderly man that getting his work done was a cakewalk, thanks to his influential connections, while boasting that his brother was Rao's bodyguard.
Subsequently, he took all land-related documents from Kotwal and then said that a “significant sum of money” needed to be paid to get the matter resolved. They agreed on a Rs30 lakh deal and Gaus sought Rs6 lakh in advance. The complainant paid him the money and then transferred other amounts over the period of time.
When Kotwal inquired about the work's progress, the accused assured him, saying that he has spoken to a minister, and then demanded more money. Later, he stopped responding to the senior citizen's calls. He travelled to Hyderabad and learnt that Gaus had a history of cheating people. Kotwal visited Hyderabad 10 times in five years, but didn't get back his money. On November 7, he filed a case against Gaus under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly) of the Indian Penal Code at the Kasturba police station.
