Maharashtra: MCOCA invoked against 18 in Nagpur land grab case

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Nagpur police have taken strong action, using the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against 18 people accused of fraudulent land deals in the city.

The case was filed after a 63-year-old widow from Navjeevan Colony in Gajanan Nagar discovered that her 3,000-square-foot land in the Mouza Nara had been illegally sold to one Imam Khan Abdul Rahim Khan for Rs 5 lakh using false paperwork. Rahul Madne, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II), revealed details on the woman's complaint submitted on November 6, 2023, reported PTI.

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The report further stated that, according to investigators, the accused coordinated the scam by creating counterfeit documents, such as false Aadhaar and PAN cards, as well as a forged sale deed. Khan allegedly had links with a registrar's office employee who helped him get actual land files and facilitate the manufacture of fraudulent paperwork.

Police conducted searches of the accused's homes and vehicles, recovering damning evidence such as land registers, fake identification cards, original land papers, fake non-agriculture (NA) order papers, counterfeit cash, fraudulent stamp papers, and tickets. These discoveries revealed the accused's involvement in a number of land-related crimes and conspiracies, the PTI report further stated.

Per the report, given the accused's history of organised criminal activity, the police decided to invoke MCOCA. Currently, five of the accused are in detention, while the others have been granted bail. Police are actively seeking the cancellation of bail for those released and have served notices on the arrested individuals.

During the search of Khan's high-end automobile, cops recovered 12 phoney Rs 500 cash notes, adding to the case's evidence, the report added.

Meanwhile, in another incident from Thane, a woman's husband and four relatives were booked for causing her death over dowry.

According to another report in PTI, the police in Thane city said that Namrata, the deceased who is originally from Panipat in Haryana, married the city resident Nikhil Agarwal in 2017 and they have a son.

The deceased's in-laws had already taken a dowry of Rs 50 lakh before the wedding and had been demanding for additional Rs 50 lakhs to purchase a flat. The woman was being tortured by her in-laws and husband since her family said they could not arrange for the amount. She was set ablaze by her in-laws in October last year and she succumbed to her injuries two months later.