20-year-old ploy to expropriate govt land exposed in Gujarat

The Gujarat police busted a major scandal of grabbing important government land of Amreli city and arrested two persons in connection with the scandal.

Amreli (Gujarat): With the arrest of two persons, Yusufbhai Motiwala and Vinodbhai Bhadwala, the police have busted a major scandal of grabbing important government land of Amreli city. The duo had been carrying out this illegal activity since over 20 years.

The two accused, with forged documents prepared by one Vali Mehtar of Vapi, had conspired to grab government land.

According to police, the prime accused Vali Mehtar, in collusion with two of his confidantes, had applied to the Amreli collector seeking restoration of ownership rights over the government land or compensation.

However, district collector Ayush Oak and Amreli superintendent of police Nirlipt rai suspected that the accused had produced forged documents following which the documents were sent to the forensic science laboratory which found these were forged.

What was shocking was that these documents carried forged signatures of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr B R Ambedkar, Sardar Patel and the Chief Justice of India. The documents also had old government seal and old postage.

After these documents were found by the FSL to be forged, the police arrested the two persons who had obtained power of attorney from the main accused. The police has initiated steps to arrest the main accused Vali Mehtar.

There was a conspiracy to usurp almost half of the government land in Amreli city which included the vegetable market, fruit market, government girls’ high school, the residential areas of the collector, superintendent of police, district judge and other government officials.

In his application, Vali Mehtar had claimed that his grandfather was a freedom fighter and an associate of Mahatma Gandhi because of which property rights of these lands were bestowed on him.

However, investigation by the police revealed that Vali’s grandfather was neither an associate of Mahatma Gandhi nor was he a freedom fighter. It was also claimed that Vali’s grandfather had given him in writing that he was the rightful heir.

All the documents were forged using computer application on vintage papers.

How many more persons are involved in this fraud would be known after Vali Mehtar is arrested. This the first major land scam unearthed in Gujarat in which the accused had conspired to grab so much of government land.