Three persons from Gujarat have been arrested for allegedly attempting to sell and purchase land using fabricated documents in the name of a deceased man in Maharashtra`s Thane district, police said, reported news agency PTI.

A team from the Mira Bhayandar Virar Vasai (MBVV) police laid a trap and apprehended the trio, one of them a property agent, at Penkarpada in Mira Road East on September 12, an official said.

A case had been registered based on a complaint from one Manish Dharnidhar Shah, who holds inheritance rights to the land, he said, reported PTI.

“The complainant`s father, late Dharnidhar Khimchand Shah (D K Shah), had purchased the land in 1978. After he died in 1994, the property was transferred to his son and his family. However, the accused allegedly misused the abbreviated name `D.K. Shah` and forged authority letters, special power of attorney and documents to execute a fraudulent sale,” the official said, reported PTI.

Dharmeshbhai Keshavji Shah, a property agent from Bhavnagar, allegedly executed an agreement to sell the land to Surat-based buyers, Vinubhai Popatbhai Ravani and Amritbhai Premjibhai Ramani, using fake papers, he said, reported PTI.

The trio had been absconding for months and were tracked down using technical surveillance, the official said.

Drug case accused on run for 3 years held in Thane

In another case, the police have arrested a drug case accused, who had been living under a false identity and frequently shifting locations to escape being caught for three years, an official said on Sunday, reported PTI.

Salman Anwar Sheikh (26), resident of Geeta Nagar in Mira Road area of Maharashtra`s Thane district, was accused in a narcotics case registered here on July 10, 2022, and had been absconding since then, senior police inspector Rahul Rakh said, reported PTI.

“While the case was nearing conclusion in the trial court, Sheikh went missing and began to evade arrest. He was shuttling between Mira Road, Bhayander (in Thane) and Vasai (in neighbouring Palghar district), concealing his identity and doing low-profile jobs to avoid detection,” he said, reported PTI.

He worked as a delivery boy and changed his mobile numbers frequently, the official said.

The police had received a tip that Sheikh was working as a delivery boy.

“Based on this, our team launched a two-month-long undercover investigation, keeping a watch on his possible hideouts and movement patterns. Finally, we intercepted and arrested him at Cabin Road, Bhayander on September 12,” Rakh said, reported PTI.

Even as Sheikh was hiding, the court continued proceedings against the other accused, reported PTI.

On September 11, the court convicted three co-accused in the case. Two were sentenced to five years` rigorous imprisonment with fines of Rs 50,000 each, while a third was given 10 years` RI and a fine of 1 lakh was imposed on him, the police said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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