Economic Offences Wing arrests two for using impostor to transfer prime land in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of city police has arrested two men for allegedly transferring agricultural land by producing an impostor as the real owner and executing a forged gift deed (hibanama) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The accused, Mohammed Noor Mohammed Hanif (47), of Garkheda, and Abdul Kashid Khan, alias Junaid Khan (35), of Mominpura, were picked up shortly after midnight on Thursday and remanded to police custody till June 13.

Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said the case would be pursued thoroughly. “The EOW is conducting a detailed probe and the role of all people concerned will be examined,” he said.

The case was registered late on Wednesday at the City Chowk police station following a complaint by businessman Ali Asgar Saifuddin Petiwala (58), a resident of Burhani Colony. The alleged fraud took place on May 27.

According to the FIR, Petiwala owns a 2-hectare and 11R share of agricultural land from a joint holding of 7 hectares and 46R at Hirapur village. He alleged that the land was fraudulently transferred using a registered hibanama after an unknown person was presented as him before the registration authorities.

Police said Hanif allegedly orchestrated the fraud in connivance with an impersonator, witnesses, a property agent and possibly registration office officials, using forged documents to execute the transaction.

EOW in-charge inspector Gajanan Kalyankar said the police are probing the full extent of the conspiracy. “The complaint alleges that an unknown person was presented as the landowner during the registration process. We are examining the documents and the involvement of everyone linked to the deal,” he said.

The police have booked the accused under BNS sections 316(5), 318(3), 336(3), 338, 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5).