FIR against bldr, trust for ‘bid to grab’ Borivli land under guise of redevpt

Mumbai: An FIR has been lodged against Khar-based developer Ravi Punjabi, who is out on bail in another case involving gangster Ravi Pujari, and a charitable trust for allegedly falsifying property records and attempting to usurp two plots in Borivli West belonging to a housing federation under the pretext of redevelopment.
The land was legally sold to Sanskritik Kendra Trust in 1980, with the permission of the charity commissioner. In July 2024, Shailendra Upadhyay, a trustee, received a notice from the Borivli talathi, (revenue department official), informing him that Punjabi had applied for inclusion of his name in the land's revenue records. Punjabi, claiming to be the owner, allegedly submitted a false affidavit and registered fake ownership documents in his name.
Upadhyay asserted that he and his trust had not granted any power of attorney to Punjabi, and had not signed any development agreement with him either. He alleged that Punjabi submitted false affidavits and documents to fraudulently claim ownership and manipulate official records for financial gain with the help of a different trust, which has been named as the other accused.
According to the complainant, Punjabi had no legal rights to the property but still managed to manipulate records with the alleged support of the accused trust. The accused trust, despite selling the land decades ago, allegedly aided the fraud by submitting a false written statement supporting Punjabi's claim, said Upadhyay.
Punjabi was arrested by the crime branch in 2010 for links with Pujari. In 2015, the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court convicted Punjabi for allegedly aiding and abetting Pujari and sentenced him to ten years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with a firing at a jewellery showroom in Oshiwara in 2010. Punjabi has served four years in prison and was granted bail by Supreme Court.