Cheating, forgery case against 3

Cheating, forgery case against 3

Pune: An FIR has been registered with Koregaon Park police station by builder Manish Harish Milani against three persons including a lawyer for allegedly forging documents related to 69.23 acres land in Lohegaon, about which the Army and Milani’s father are engaged in tussle in the court. 

Milani had filed private complaint in the court and based on court’s order police have registered the case against estate agent Ishraq Khan, Sudhir Kamat and advocate G R Sharma. They are alleged of committing offences under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine), 473 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc.,), 120b (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The incident took place between 2015 till March 21 this year. 

“My father owns the land which is adjacent to defence land and he has given me power of attorney as he is ill. The accused persons made forged documents to usurp the land and demanded Rs 25 crores from me for not harassing or defaming me”, Milani stated in his complaint. 

Earlier in 2016, a special CBI court had acquitted former defence estate officer (Pune) S R Nayyar, Lohgaon talathi Balbhim Gaikwad, Kevin Pinto who claims to be owner of the land who sold it, builder Harish Milani, and agent Khan. The CBI had registered case against them in 2010 for allegedly grabbing Army land by forging documents and even manipulating handwritten register at the sub-registrar’s office. However, the court accepted that the ownership of the land remains with the Army as per the 7/12 land extracts records. The CBI will challenge the acquittal of the accused persons in the Bombay High Court. 

According to CBI, land survey no. 233A situated at Lohgaon has been in possession of Military since 1918. Though agency submitted gazette notification of 1917 of government’s intention to acquire the land for military, it failed to produce actual documents for acquisition or requisition of the land. Land record like 7/12 extract states ‘military kade’ (towards military) in the ownership column. Pinto had claimed that his father and grandfather had purchased the land and then sold it Milani in 1980. But the sale was not registered and Pinto and Milani got it registered in 2008, the court found it suspicious. 

Though the court acquitted the accused persons, it asked the ministry of defence to take essential legal steps to protect land from the clutches Land Mafiyas. “It is also necessary to see that in future nobody should try to grab the land.” 

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