08 June,2017 10:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar Menon
Trustee says papers were forged to grab his inheritance in Kanjurmarg by two in connivance with revenue officers; FIR after court steps in
The contentious plot in Kanjurmarg
Over 50 years ago in 1965, Farooq Abdul Rehman Yusuf (76) inherited over 70 acres of land in Kanjurmarg (east and west) valued at Rs 150-200 crore from his grandfather Mohammed Yusuf (bought on July 6, 1938). Today, he is battling to save that entire parcel, of which he became the sole executor after the deaths of his father and brother in 1968 and 2012, respectively. He claims that it was grabbed from him through forgery and deceit by two directors of Adarsh Water Park and Resorts - Idris Khan and Dineshchand Shah - in connivance with state revenue officials. In a slight relief on April 21 though, the Mulund Metropolitan court directed the Kanjurmarg police to investigate the case and register an FIR against the accused and revenue officials.
Core dispute
According to advocate Chirag Shah, in February 2006, when the brothers - Abdul Rashid and Farooq Abdul - learnt that unsolicited people were trying to grab their property, they published a public notice in three newspapers that the property is with the trust. However, in April 2006, without their knowledge, the two accused approached the HC and got a status quo by filing a suit, allegedly using Abdul Rashid's forged power of attorney and an agreement.
Shah said it was only in 2014 that Farooq Abdul learnt from locals about attempts being made to sell portions of his property to builders.
"We were surprised to learn about the status quo because the accused were not known to the trustees nor had they ever approached them with interest to buy," he said. Additionally, an RTI query with the Mulund revenue office revealed that in the 6/12 extracts of September 2006, the duo had managed to get their names incorporated as 'other owners'.
"It is evident that the accused not only misused the HC status quo order, but also managed to get the revenue officials to do the needful in their favour," said the lawyer.
Road to court
Farooq Abdul filed a complaint with the Kanjurmarg police on October 25, 2016; even after recording his statement, no action was taken. He then filed a private complaint in the Mulund Metropolitan Magistrate court.
On April 21, metropolitan magistrate MS Kakade observed that the complainant has submitted sufficient documents to make out a cognisable offence, and directed the police to investigate the case. An FIR was finally registered.
Police say
Senior inspector AL Satpute said, "We had started our probe and superiors' opinion was awaited to register an offence, but the applicant moved court. We have filed the FIR now."
However, he said, no arrests have been made, adding, "We are in the process of recording statements of the witnesses for the documents that are said to be forged. We will complete the probe from all angles and submit our report to the court."
Trustee speaks
Hoping for immediate redressal, Farooq Abdul said, "The accused colluded with revenue officers and got their name mutated in other rights column. So without paying a single rupee, they are now claiming development rights. I have to run to all authorities, police stations and courts every day to protect the property."
