The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday conducted searches at over 20 places in Pune and Mumbai including offices of IRB Infrastructure Ltd, in connection with a complaint of alleged land-grabbing, through cheating and forgery, registered by slain activist Satish Shetty. Shetty had alleged in 2009 that IRB and some government officials were involved in several irregular land deals at Taje and Pimploli villages off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A case was registered at Lonavala police station against Deepak Gadgil of Aryan Infrastructure, a subsidiary of IRB and 12 others, including IRB CMD Virendra Mahiskar and the sub-registrar of assurances of Maval on October 15, 2009. On November 24, 2009, Satish filed an application with the rural police seeking protection after he received threats. Lonavala police filed a closure report in the case but the CBI, while investigating the murder case had asked the High Court for permission to probe the land grab case. The HC gave the nod to re-investigate Shetty’s complaint. CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said, “CBI conducted searches at 21 locations in Mumbai and Pune including offices and residential premises of Virendra Mahiskar, MD of IRB Infrastructure, Deepak Dattatray Gadgil and others. The case has been registered on the direction of the Bombay High Court under section 420, 467, 468, 469, 471 (cheating and forgery) of the IPC against Deepak Gadgil, authorized signatory of Aryan Infrastructures, and 12 others.” The CBI that had initially claimed close links between the murder and the land grab case, in an unexpected turn filed a closure report in the murder probe in August 2014. Pune rural police had arrested six persons including advocate Vijay Dabhade for Shetty’s murder. One of the accused was discharged later. The charge-sheet was filed against the remaining five suspects. Rural police pointed out details of past disputes between Shetty and Dabhade. However, Shetty’s family believed that disputes with Dabhade had been settled. Then, a special investigation team (SIT) of CBI, Mumbai took over investigation in September 2010. In December 2014, Shetty’s brother Sandeep moved the Bombay High Court pleading that an order be passed for setting aside the closure report filed by CBI in the murder case. IRB reaction The IRB said, “As part of reinvestigation in the matter of land acquisition at Taje and Pimploli near Pune, officers from CBI visited our Pune office and registered office today to check records relating to land acquisition at Taje and Pimploli. The company and its management fully cooperated with them and provided necessary documents and denied any wrongdoing. We have understood from the publicly available sources that in August 2014, the honourable High Court of Bombay permitted reinvestigation into the complaint pertaining to land acquisition which was filed by the late RTI activist in 2009. It is also understood from publicly available sources that CBI has already filed a closure report before Sessions Court, Pune, after conducting investigation in the matter pertaining to murder of the same RTI activist in Maharashtra. We would like to state that we at IRB conduct our business in due compliance of law and maintain the highest standard of corporate governance and we have full faith in the due process of law & the judiciary.”
