15 November,2021 07:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish Vaktania
The accused Clarence Pereira or Peter with his wife Nancy
Mumbai is dotted by bungalows and cottages built by its original inhabitants, most of whose owners are now old and feeble. The land mafia, always on the lookout for prey, have set their sights on these old structures that sit on land worth crores, trying every trick in the book to either bully the inhabitants into selling or trying to force them out of their homes, in some cases with the help of the local police or politicians. In the first of a series of reports, mid-day highlights the plight of a bungalow owner, who has been struggling to keep her Chuim Village home out of the clutches of the land mafia.
Marietta Fernandes's cottage at Khar. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
The 54-year-old woman, Marietta Fernandes, said the main culprit, Clarence Pereira alias Peter, had been trying to take over her ancestral property in Khar for years. "I have known Peter since 2013 and he would visit my house at least twice a month." The accused executed his nefarious plan to take over her ancestral property after she was admitted to Thane Mental Hospital (TMH), where she was an inmate for six months.
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Last year in November, Marietta was rescued from her cottage in Chuim Village of Khar West where she was found with the skeletal remains of her mother Yvonne. Marietta worked as a chef in London and Dubai and returned to Mumbai to live with her mother after her father Percy died in 2004. Both her sister and brother live abroad. "My mother was a chronic arthritis patient and was unable to walk on her own. After celebrating my birthday on March 25, she told me to make her bed on the floor. Next morning, she did not wake up," she said. "I loved my mother, she meant the world to me. She was the reason I returned here," she added. Months later in November, Khar police recovered the remains of Yvonne, wrapped in a bedsheet under the cot.
Elvy Pereira, a distant relative of Peter, helped Marietta get out of the accused's clutches
Marietta told mid-day that she was not taken immediately to the mental hospital. "I was kept at the police station for at least a week. Cops had also taken me to Sir JJ Hospital for check-ups," she recalled. "Then one day, two police officers, including sub-inspector Tanaji Kolthe, took me to a place. I learnt that I was being admitted to a mental hospital in Thane at the time of filling up a form," she said.
Talking about her experience at the facility, she said, "The staff members were horrible⦠Inmates were poured water through a pipe by a female staff for a bath; there was no soap, only two-three towels for over 60 inmates. The toilets were soiled and it stunk⦠Other inmates would throw your things⦠It is hard to explain how horrible the experience was." "Peter took me out of TMH on April 29. He had come with his wife Nancy and son Rafael, who drove the car. Peter had told the people at TMH that he would take care of me," she said.
When the mid-day team visited TMH to enquire if procedures were followed, medical superintendent Dr Sanjay Bodade said, "The woman remained in our supervision for six months. We decided to discharge her from the hospital after she became fine. We handed her over to her uncle whose credentials were verified by the local police (Khar)."
On their drive back to the city, Peter told her to stay at the rented house of his friend Neelima Deshmukh in Andheri East and asked her to follow their instructions. Rafael allegedly also threatened to kill her siblings. "I was terrified as they all were shouting and threatening me, right after I had stepped out of a world of mad people," she said.
The Thane Mental Hosp.ital, where Marietta lived for around six months
"I was forced to do all the domestic work for around two months at Neelima's flat," Marietta said, adding that she was beaten up as she did not want to sign the documents. She further said that Peter had also planned to kill her. "But Deshmukh dissuaded him to murder me as the flat was taken on rent in her name. She instead suggested that he kill me elsewhere," she said.
After two months of harrowing experience there, Peter took Marietta to Khar police station where, she said, she again met sub-inspector Kolthe. "From Khar police station, Peter took me to my house in Chuim Village. He forcibly grabbed all my documents including PAN card, Aadhaar card, voter ID card, original property documents⦠He also took my mother's documents," Marietta told mid-day.
Speaking with mid-day PSI Kolthe, who is handling the case, said, "After Marietta's mother's death, we found that she is mentally ill and sent her to the mental hospital. After a few months, the hospital sent us a letter stating she was fit and fully recovered. TMH also asked to inform her family members. We responded saying we did not find any of her family members as they reside abroad. Shockingly, two-three months after she was released, she arrived at Khar police station with Clarence and gave us a letter to take custody of her bungalow. We took the letter and handed over the keys to her." He further added, "We didn't give any permission to TMH to release Marietta. They discharged her without informing us. We don't know where she is now. We did our job legally."
Elvy Pereira, 72, a distant relative of Peter, told mid-day that he had been trying to convince her since April to accommodate two women at her house in Andheri. "I made excuses as I know he is involved in many crimes," she said. "In September, he called me again to see if I was at home. Then on September 19, he brought two women - Neelima and Marietta - to my house. I was told that they would stay at my house for a few days and then go to Goa," said Pereira.
"One day when Neelima went out to buy something, Marietta came to me and asked for help with folded hands. She broke into tears and narrated her ordeal," she recalled. Pereira discussed the issue with others and took Marietta to a safe location. "Today, Marietta is safe and sound, but her property has been captured by Peter," she said.
Peter or Clarence Pereira, a Bandra-based developer who has been involved in several crimes including cheating, molestation, rape, theft, etc, claimed he bought the 1,800 sq ft property for Rs 4.50 crore from Marietta's mother in 2013. "I have paid them through cheques and I have all the legal and registered documents," he claimed. Peter further told mid-day that he spent a lot of money to take Marietta out of TMH. "I got her released from the mental hospital and spent a lot of money as hospital billâ¦I met the superintendent Dr Sanjay Bodade and brought her out," he said.
He also said that Marietta allegedly went missing, following which he registered a missing person's report but refused to name the police station. Countering Peter's claim that he has purchased the property, Marietta said, "He is a liar⦠We have never received any money as such? And it's a road facing property with a huge garden in a posh area. The actual price of the property is not less than R25 crore. He must have forged some documents."
