Sanand,a hotbed of land scams

The biggest case in Sanand was a land fraud of 300 beeghas in Kalana village where victim Manoj Dave of Ahmedabad wanted to set up an international textile machinery exhibition.

The police said accused Rasik Patel and four others duped Dave by claiming that they have made a Memorandum of Understanding with the local farmers. The accused had forged banakhat (temporary agreement) and had fake the signatures of farmers.

The police said neither the accused nor victim knows who actually owns that land.

They said the accused reportedly made legal documents of only seven beeghas of land and prepared fake documents of transferring the property on the name of Dave’s friend. Dave’s company transferred over Rs 4 crore to his friend towards payment for finishing the paperwork. All accused are absconding.

In another case,main accused Kesu Faldu of Jamnagar and seven others from Ahmedabad duped a farmer from Sanand on a plot of land containing an ONGC oil well (Survey no 12). Victim Bhavu Vaghela had managing rights of the ONGC well in Garodia village that is reportedly not in a working condition. The accused posed as ONGC officials,took picture of the victim on their mobile phone and took his signatures on bogus power of attorney.

SIT officers said another controversial case was that of Gaga Puna and 19 other farmers of Kundal village who duped a businessman from Ahmedabad city. Victim Girish Shringi had bought land (Survey no 26(1) to 36) from these farmers in 1994. In 1995,these farmers claimed title of ownership on this land. When the victim met with an accident,the farmers sold off the land to another party for double the amount.

The other cases of Sanand include one where Bharwads duped a Thakor of farmland (Survey no 612) of Goraj village by preparing fake documents of sale and forged thumb prints. Bhupatsinh Vaghrola,a farmer from Devti village of Sanand complained to the committee that two others farmers from Kaneti village had grabbed his land by preparing fake documents.

The police detected two cases in Viramgam taluka where victim Champa Thakor complained against her father Jayendra Thakor who reportedly transferred their ancestral property (Survey no 10/1 to 115) on his name by putting fake signatures of his deceased daughter Parvati. Similarly,farmer Babu Jadav of Ogan village was duped by four relatives (farmers) who grabbed his land (Survey no 307)

In Sarkhej,nine people from Ahmedabad duped a land dealer in Makarba (Survey no 570) by making bogus power of attorney and transferring the ownership of land. A woman from Jamalpur was duped by a talati and a land dealer from Vejalpur and Sarkhej respectively who grabbed her land by getting fake witnesses and forging documents.