FIR against Jaypee MD for ‘snatching’ items of farmer

NOIDA: A case for dacoity has been registered against the managing director of Jaypee Group, its security in-charge and some other officials for allegedly robbing equipment worth around Rs 3 lakh from a farmer’s plot.
Expressway police have registered the FIR under Section 395 (dacoity) of the IPC and have named managing director Sameer Gaur, security in-charge Colonel Tiwana (retd), two senior officials, Naushad Ali and Mangal Singh, and “hundreds of guards.”

When TOI called up Gaur for a reaction, he said “I don’t know anything about the case” and disconnected the phone.

The police action followed a complaint by farmer Gunveer Singh, who alleged that the Jaypee officials held three of his caretakers hostage and forcibly took away iron rods, tin shades and other equipment kept in his plot on Saturday evening.

Singh said he owned a 3,920sqm plot in Gejha Tilaptabad village along the Noida Expressway, around which the Jaypee Group is building a housing society. According to the farmer, he owned around 20 acres until 1997, when the Noida Authority acquired portions of his land for developing the Noida Expressway.

The farmer said he had approached the district administration recently when he noticed some people had encroached on his land and put up unauthorised hoardings. Subsequently, a team from the revenue department visited his plot last month and advised him to do a fencing of his land as part of a demarcation exercise.

The farmer said he fenced his plot with iron sheets and rods and employed three caretakers — Rohit, Neeraj and Deepak — to guard the land.

According to the FIR, Jaypee security in-charge Tiwana, Naushad Ali, Mangal Singh and “hundreds of guards” visited the plot on Saturday evening on the directions MD Gaur. The MD, however, was not at the spot, the FIR said.

“They bundled the three caretakers into an SUV and snatched their mobile phones. Then, they robbed iron rods, tin sheets and some other equipment and loaded them onto tractors. They left the place after threatening the caretakers with dire consequences,” Singh said.

“They also took away a motor used to pump water. The things that were robbed would be worth at least Rs 3 lakh,” he added.

Vedpal Singh Pundir, SHO of Expressway police station, said a case for dacoity under Section 395 of the IPC had been registered against Gaur and the others. “We are investigating the matter,” he said.

If proved guilty, the accused could face life term or rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years along with a fine.