Telangana State Waqf Board’s law officer Sultan Mohiuddin was arrested in connection with the fake no-objection certificate for land alienation scandal which hit the Muslim endowments body.
According to board officials, Mr. Mohiuddin was one of its senior employees and had been working there since the early 1980s.
Speaking to The Hindu, Abids police, who registered the complaint about fake NOCs, confirmed the arrest. “He was arrested yesterday. He is now in judicial custody. The arrest is in the fake NOC case, which the Waqf Board had registered here. The complaint stated that the fake NOCs were given for waqf properties in places such as Malkajgiri and Shaikpet.”
According to board officials, the arrest of Mr Mohiuddin is significant for two reasons: first, the fact the he is a senior employee, and, second, he is aware of the details of several sensitive cases the board is fighting in various courts of law.
“Taking into consideration the extent of land, we are estimating that the scam could be worth at least ₹ 6 crore,” said an official, who did not wish to be identified.
Those in the know claimed that the NOC scandal could be more serious than expected. A board member alleged that another member could be involved in the case. However, he declined to name the person.
Meanwhile, sources said the police recorded the purported confession of a person identified as Mohammed Imtiaz, who had surrendered before a local court last month. He is currently in judicial custody. Police are also questioning several others in connection with the investigation. Two others, identified as Md Ziyauddin and Md Wahaj Khan, too were arrested.
According to officials, the first case of an alleged fake NOC came to light in 2017, during the term of former TSWB chief executive officer M A Mannan Farooqui. A total of three alleged fake NOCs have surfaced till now.
On his part, TSWB chairman Mohammed Saleem said he was unfazed by the alleged scams on his watch. “I have told the police that they have my full cooperation. Police will investigate accordingly. I am told Mr Mohiuddin’s name came up during interrogation of accused, which is why he has been arrested.”