Mumbai: Cops Book Developer Heirs Over Alleged Land Forgery In Kandivali

Mumbai: The Borivali police have booked the heirs of a developer for allegedly submitting forged documents to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in an attempt to reclaim around 2.5 acres of land previously surrendered to the BMC for additional Floor Space Index (FSI).

About The Case

The case, registered on August 4 following a BMC complaint, is under investigation by the crime branch. According to the FIR, BMC records from 1967 show that 67,932.75 sq. m of land in Kandivali West belonged to Nanubhai Bhat. Of this, 29,696.34 sq. m was reserved by the BMC for civic amenities like schools, hospitals, and parks. In 1973, Bhat formed M/s Indian Plabango with his five children.

On March 23, 1978, the company informed the BMC it would surrender the reserved land for additional FSI. On May 15, 1978, the land was transferred to the BMC, which issued a receipt granting 50% FSI on reservation plots and 100% FSI on the DP Road to Bhat’s company. Bhat’s company built 18 residential buildings on the unreserved five acres for G.B.J.J. Cooperative Housing Society.

The BMC mandated transferring ownership of the surrendered land and constructing a boundary wall, but the company failed to comply. In 2002, Bhat’s five children— Jagdish Bhat, Sureshchandar Bhat, Girish Bhat, Vatsla Joshi, and Malini Dave—allegedly added their names as heirs to the disputed land without BMC’s knowledge, despite its prior surrender.

The FIR alleges that on February 19, 2004, the heirs fraudulently executed the BMC-acquired land to third parties via a power of attorney given to M/s Shah and Sons partners Vadilal Shah and Vijay Seth. In October 2024, Vadilal Shah transferred this power of attorney to his wife, Bhavana Shah, who, with her son Rinkesh Shah, conducted sale and purchase transactions on the land, which was already in BMC’s possession for public amenities.

Sunil Shete, a 41-year-old Assistant Engineer from RCentral Ward, filed the complaint on behalf of BMC. The accused face charges under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating), 336(3) (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable security), and other relevant sections.

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