Mumbai: ₹40 Crore Bafna Trust Land Row Escalates, Trustees Booked, Family Denies Fraud

Mumbai Police has registered a case against trustees of the Bafna Charitable Trust for allegedly misappropriating ₹40 crore by selling trust-owned land and diverting the money for personal use. The FIR was filed at Marine Drive Police Station on the basis of a complaint lodged by Mukesh Jawarimal Mehta.

According to the complaint, Suresh S Bafna, Rajkumar S Bafna, Vimla Navlakha and Sudhir Navlakha colluded to illegally sell a trust property in Nahur, Kurla taluka, measuring 3,837 square metres. The proceeds, it is alleged, were funnelled into their companies and investments, in violation of directives issued by the Deputy Charity Commissioner.

Case Handed to Economic Offences Wing

Police said the accused misused trust funds for personal gain, estimating the loss at around ₹40 crore. Acting on the complaint, Marine Drive Police booked them under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. The case has now been transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for a deeper probe. Officials said further action is likely.

Bafna Family Issues Clarification

Reacting to the case, Shanay Bafna, son of accused trustee Suresh Bafna, issued a statement rejecting the allegations. He said his father had resigned from the trust in 2012 and was not involved in any wrongdoing.

Shanay explained that the land was sold in 2009 to Atul Builders only after the charity commissioner’s permission was obtained. The decision, he said, was challenged in Bombay High Court, which ruled that “there is no fraud and misrepresentation demonstrated in obtaining sanction.”

A Dispute Now in the Public Eye

What began as a property transaction years ago has now snowballed into a legal and reputational battle. While police press ahead with the investigation, the Bafna family insists the sale was lawful and approved, setting the stage for a contested courtroom fight.

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