Forest Land Scam: ED Attaches Assets Of BJP Leader Janardan Mahtre And His infrastructure Firm

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen movable assets amounting to approximately Rs 44 crore and seized Rs 16.5 lakh in cash during a series of search operations conducted across multiple locations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, as part of the ongoing investigation into an alleged forest land scam involving Janardan Moru Mhatre, a senior BJP leader and Director of J.M. Mhatre Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.

According to officials, the ED has frozen a bank balance of Rs 23.62 lakh in Mhatre’s personal account and fixed deposits worth Rs 42.17 crore held by his infrastructure firm J.M. Mhatre Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. The agency is probing the alleged illegal acquisition and sale of government-owned forest land in Panvel, which was originally classified as a Reserved Forest under the Maharashtra Private Forest (Acquisition) Act, 1975.

The agency has also attached assets belonging to Syed Wajid Ali Shah Qadri, another accused in the case. These include a bank balance of Rs 1.37 crore and mutual funds worth Rs 23 lakh. Additionally, a sum of Rs 16.5 lakh in cash was recovered from Qadri’s premises during the course of the raids.

The ED initiated its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by Panvel Police Station against Mhatre and Qadri. The case involves the illegal acquisition of government-notified forest land and its wrongful transfer to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), resulting in the alleged fraudulent receipt of land compensation of Rs 52 crore.

The disputed land is located in Survey Nos. 427/1 (41.70 hectares) and 436/1 (110.60 hectares) in Mouje Vahal, Panvel Taluka, Raigad district. The land was historically held by Syed Lassarajul Hasan and six others, who were listed as Inamdars under the erstwhile Hyderabad Nizam's administration. However, under the 1975 Act, the land was subsequently vested with the State government as part of its forest holdings.

The investigation revealed that the accused, Mhatre and Qadri, allegedly manipulated land records to falsely indicate continued private ownership. The Forest Department’s name was illegally replaced with that of the accused in the official land records, thereby enabling them to unlawfully claim, sell, mortgage, and even secure compensation and loans against the land.

The ED’s probe has revealed that Mhatre, the main accused in the case, illegally mortgaged government-owned forest land to the Bank of Baroda’s Panvel branch on multiple occasions first in 2005 and later in 2013, securing loans amounting to over Rs 207 crore using government land as collateral.

Subsequently, with the assistance of co-accused Qadri, Mhatre illegally sold the land to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), for which the accused allegedly received substantial compensation. Mhatre received Rs 42.4 crore, while Qadri received Rs 9.69 crore amounts that the ED has classified as proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED suspects that the proceeds from these transactions were diverted and layered through a complex web of bank accounts and fixed deposits held in the names of the accused, their company and associated individuals.

ED investigation revealed that no re-survey was conducted, and no clearance from the forest or revenue department was obtained, even though a pending inquiry under the Maharashtra Private Forest (Acquisition) Act was already noted in land records.