The sleuths of Surat crime branch on Sunday arrested three people, two of whom are key witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, for their alleged involvement in a land scam.
The sleuths of Surat crime branch on Sunday arrested three people, two of whom are key witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, for their alleged involvement in a land scam.
The crime branch team picked up brothers, Dashrath and Raman Patel, and their relative, Pankaj Patel, from Ahmedabad early on Sunday morning and whisked them away to Surat for questioning.
According to the police, the trio were allegedly involved in a land scam and had purchased land worth Rs100 crore on the basis of forged documents.
Dashrath and Raman Patel are proprietors of Ahmedabad-based construction firm, Popular Builders, and are prime witnesses in the fake encounter case in which former Gujarat minister of state for home, Amit Shah, is the prime accused.
Police picked up Raman Patel when he had gone out for a morning walk. Dashrath Pankaj and Pankaj were sleeping in their houses when the police took them away.
Police said Pankaj Patel and 22 others had formed a cooperative society named Unn Rohit Sahakari Ghar Bhandnari Mandali. As an office-bearer of the cooperative society, Pankaj had purchased land worth crores between Sachin and Vesu in Surat district.
To claim ownership of the land, Pankaj Patel had allegedly prepared fake power of attorney documents for farmers who didn’t have proper papers for their land, the police said.
He had thus illegally taken possession of land worth Rs100 crore. The entire scam is alleged to have taken place between 1998 and 2008.
The cooperative society had repotedly said the land was being acquired to build homes for economically backward people.
However, no homes were built on the land even after 10 years of its purchase.
The scam came to light during verification of land records by the district administration. A complaint in this connection was registered on September 20, 2010 against Pankaj Patel at Athwa police station by VN Vasaliya, who was district registrar at the time. Vasaliya is a resident of Mota Varachha in Surat.
On the basis of Vasaliya’s statement, the police registered a case under IPC sections 420, 465, 466, 467 and 114 and Sections 71, 147 and 148 of Gujarat Sahakari Mandali Adhiniyam.
Some months back, the case was handed over to Surat crime branch as Athwa police had been unable to make any headway in its investigation.
On the basis of its investigations, the crime branch arrested Pankaj Patel, Raman Patel and Dashrath Patel.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}