Seven held in Ahmedabad over conspiracy to seize Trikamji Mandir land

Ahmedabad, May 18 (IANS) Seven people have been arrested in connection with the conspiracy to seize the Trikamji Mandir land in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

The accused have been identified as Babu Bhai Dahyabhai Shah, Mohammad Asgar Abdul Hamid Pathan, Nizamuddin Abdul Rehman Sheikh, Mohammad Bilal Mohammad Hanif Sheikh, Zeeshan Zahid Hussain Qadri, Rohan Imtiyaz Ahmed Qadri, and Saddam Hussein Salimbhai Qureshi.

Gaekwad Haveli Police arrested Bilal Sheikh, a builder and son of the notorious Hanif Dadhi, near the Kachchi Masjid area in Jamalpur.

The arrest is linked to a serious land fraud case involving the alleged illegal acquisition of property belonging to the Trikamji Mandir.

Sheikh and his associates are accused of fabricating false documents and conspiring to unlawfully seize the temple land.

Following a complaint, the police registered a case under multiple sections, including cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine and criminal conspiracy.

Authorities revealed that the accused allegedly created fraudulent documents to mislead officials and carry out their illegal plan.

The case has drawn public attention because of the involvement of individuals with previous criminal backgrounds and the sensitivity around temple land disputes in Ahmedabad. Investigations are ongoing, and further arrests may be made as the police continue to probe the matter.

The Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act, 2020, was enacted to curb unauthorised land occupations and empower the government to take stringent actions against offenders.

Under this Act, special courts have been established to expedite the adjudication of land grabbing cases, aiming for resolution within six months.

The Act also allows for the attachment of properties acquired through illegal means and mandates the creation of a seven-member committee in each district to evaluate land-grabbing complaints. Since the implementation of the Act, the state has received over 11,000 complaints related to land grabbing.

Of these, approximately 5 per cent have resulted in the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs).

A significant portion of these complaints pertains to private land disputes, with a smaller percentage involving government-owned land.

Notably, the value of the land involved in these cases is substantial, with estimates running into hundreds of crores of rupees.

--IANS

janvi/svn