Borivli builder who helped nab matka king held for land grab

MUMBAI: A Borivli builder, who had got matka king Prakash Savla arrested for extortion in January, was arrested by the Valiv police on Monday for allegedly grabbing over 2 acres of land belonging to a tribal in Vasai. The builder, Himanshu Shah, has been booked for cheating under the Indian Penal Code as well as under the Atrocities Act.

The police alleged that Himanshu had encroached upon a 2.3-acre plot owned by Devji Mahali in Sativali, which falls in the Tungareshwar forest area. Himanshu even rented out the plot to a car service firm for Rs 3 lakh a month. Mahali alleged that since 2009, he was pleading with the builder to vacate the plot to no avail. Mahali said that years ago, he had given the plot on lease to Himanshu’s grandmother Lalita Shah, but Himanshu used fake documents to encroach upon the land. In 2014, the forest department had issued a notice to Himanshu regarding the use of the plot for commercial purposes. The police said when Shah refused to vacate the plot and threatened Mahali, the latter decided to lodge a complaint.

The Vasai sessions court remanded Himanshu to police custody till Thursday.

Earlier this year, following a complaint by Himanshu, the crime branch had arrested Savla for allegedly demanding Rs 33 crore. Himanshu said that Savla had threatened to kidnap him and his wife if they failed to pay up.