ED raids Dadar, Panvel properties of contractor JM Mhatre in illegal forest land acquisition case

The Central agency’s case is based on the complaint filed by the range forest officer of the Forest Department in Uran under the Alibagh Division in September 2024 at the Panvel Police Station. According to ED, the case against Mhatre pertains to the alleged illegal acquisition of forest land, and its subsequent illegal transfer to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

As per the Panvel police’s First Information Report (FIR), the accused illegally acquired the government forest land by making a duplicate entry in the mutation in 2005. The land under subject matter is Survey Nos 427/1 (41.70 hectare) and 436/1 (110.60 hectare) of Mauje Vahal in the Panvel taluka of the Raigad district.

As per the FIR, J M Mhatre transferred 1.86 hectares of land out of 4 hectare at Survey No 436/1 to NHAI, and received Rs 42.4 crore as compensation, and Saiyyed Mohammad Abdul Hamid Qadri transferred 0.4225 hectare of land at Survey No 427/1 and got Rs 9.69 crore.