4 held for misappropriating land acquisition compensation of tribals in Thane

NEW DELHI: Four persons have been arrested for allegedly misappropriating Rs 74.5 lakh compensation meant for ten tribals whose land had been acquired for the Mumbai-Vadodara Highway in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday.

A fraud case has been filed at the Badlapur Kulgaon police station against seven individuals, with four currently in custody and three others being pursued, according to senior inspector Govind Patil.

The case emerged when Jijabai Divekar from Ambernath taluka filed a complaint on January 24, regarding the misappropriation of highway project land acquisition compensation.

According to the official, Divekar stated that she received Rs 5.7 crore as compensation for her agricultural land acquired for the project. Following legal protocols, a portion of this amount was subsequently distributed among ten legitimate heirs.

The complaint states that in February 2021, one of the accused, who knew Divekar, deceived the landowners by collecting their thumbprints on bank receipts, claiming to help them withdraw their money.

The official further revealed that instead of distributing the full amount, the accused gave them only Rs 1 lakh while diverting Rs 9 lakh to a different account.

The fraudulent activities continued, resulting in unauthorised transfers totalling Rs 74.5 lakh.

Stay updated with breaking news, bank holidays and upcoming public holidays in march.