Five Arrested in Ahmedabad Over Rs 100 Crore Waqf Property Fraud
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Synopsis
Ahmedabad Police have arrested five individuals for allegedly impersonating trustees and illicitly collecting crores in rent from properties of Kanch Ni Masjid and Shah Bada Kasam Trust. The scam, believed to have operated for nearly two decades, involved significant misappropriation of funds and fraudulent activities.
Key Takeaways
- Five arrested in Ahmedabad property scam.
- Illegally posing as trustees since nearly two decades.
- Estimated property value involved is Rs 100 crore.
- Monthly siphoning of Rs 50,000 from donation box.
- Investigation ongoing to uncover full extent of fraud.
Ahmedabad, April 20 (NationPress) The police in Ahmedabad have apprehended five individuals accused of unlawfully masquerading as trustees and garnering crores of rupees in rent from the properties associated with the Kanch Ni Masjid (Glass Mosque) and Shah Bada Kasam Trust located in the Jamalpur area.
The suspects, identified as Salim Khan Pathan, Mohammad Yasar Sheikh, Mehmud Khan Pathan, Faiz Mohammad Jobdar, and Shahid Ahmed Sheikh, allegedly collected rent from tenants and shopkeepers without any legitimate authority from the Gujarat Waqf Board.
Authorities disclosed that the accused managed to collect rent from around 15 residential properties and as many as 200 houses, including two unauthorized six-story buildings. They are also believed to have controlled 25 to 30 shops on trust land, charging tenants between Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000 for houses and Rs 10,000 for shops.
The total worth of the properties under their fraudulent control is estimated at Rs 100 crore. Additionally, the suspects are suspected of misappropriating approximately Rs 50,000 monthly from the donation box of the Shah Bada Kasim Trust. Police reported that Salim Khan, who has a history of criminal offenses including murder and rioting, submitted a forged affidavit to the Waqf Board in July 2024, falsely presenting himself as a trustee.
A complaint filed at the Gaekwad Haveli Police Station led to the discovery of this scam, which police believe has been ongoing for nearly two decades.
According to investigators, the Waqf Board had allocated land to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the establishment of an Urdu school. The building was damaged during the 2001 earthquake and subsequently demolished in 2009. Instead of reconstructing the school, the accused reportedly built around 10 shops on the land, one of which served as an office for ‘Sodagar Construction’, operated by the prime suspect Salim Khan. The other shops were leased out, with none of the proceeds directed to the trust or AMC.
Zone 3 in-charge DCP Bharat Rathod confirmed the arrests and stated that further investigations are ongoing to uncover the full scope of the misappropriation and to identify any additional collaborators involved in the scam.
