Builder arrested in Rs 50 crore Khandala land-grab case

MUMBAI: Builder Yusuf Lakdawala was arrested by Mumbai police in connection with a Rs 50 crore land-grabbing case.

Lakdawala made headlines in 2010 after yesteryear actress Sadhana lodged a complaint against him for threatening her over a property with Santacruz police. He was later acquitted in the case. Lakdawala was arrested on a lookout notice notice issued by Economic Offences Wing at Ahmedabad airport while he was flying to London for treatment.

In February, Jitendra Badgujar had lodged a complaint with EOW, alleging that Lakdawala and Mohan Nair had allegedly forged documents of a huge property in Khandala and tried to grab land worth Rs 50 crore. As the crime occurred at the office of sub-registrar office in Old Customs House at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai, the first information report was lodged by MRA Marg police on April 4 and later transferred to EOW for further investigation.

Police said Lakdawala and Nair, along with associates, had conspired to usurp 4.38 acres in Khandala, worth approximately Rs 50 crore, by forging signatures on documents. “The accused had obtained an ‘affidavit-cum-deed of confirmation’ for the land,” said deputy commissioner of police (EOW) Parag Manere. Police said some of the documents were dated back to 1949 and were found to be fake.The accused have used the registration number of the original document of an original plot recorded with the registrar’s office in Mumbai.

Police have booked the accused under Indian Penal Code sections for cheating and forgery, and section 82 of the Registration Act for making false statements and delivering false copies.