CID probe into waqf property deals starts

AURANGABAD

: Almost six months after the government made an announcement, the state criminal investigation department (CID) has launched a probe into the alleged illegal transactions, transfers, lease and encroachment of waqf properties.

The CID will probe several prime properties in Aurangabad,

Nashik

, Mumbai and Panvel with market value running into several hundred crores of rupees. It will also look into the complaints against the waqf board members and employees for alleged malpractices.

The Justice A T A

K Shaikh Commission

, which inquired into the status of waqf properties in Maharashtra, had submitted its report in 2011 and the report was placed before the state government in April 2015. The announcement about the CID probe was made by minister of state for minorities Dilip Kamble earlier in March after

MLA Imitiaz Jaleel

claimed that 93,000 acre of waqf land had been usurped.

The Aurangabad central MLA had referred to the alleged land scam in Nashik, where the development rights for the waqf land were sold to a developer for a pittance. Later, the then woman chief executive officer of the state waqf board was suspended.

Authorities at the state CID headquarters on Friday confirmed that the department has initiated an inquiry . A letter was recently sent by the CID to the state minorities department asking it to specify the things that needed to be probed. Additional director general of police (CID) Sanjay Kumar said, “There is a correspondence going on between the CID and the state minorities department. We have asked them certain specific things before we launch an all-out probe.“

Sources said the complaints that have reached the CID via the state government are the ones the government has received from the year 2012 to 2017.

“There are prime waqf properties in the state that have been allegedly usurped by land sharks, people's representatives and waqf authorites. Most of these properties have changed hands,“ said an official in the minorities department. The state CID has already sent a letter to the

Aurangabad CID

unit, asking it to go through the file.