Maharashtra Waqf launches crackdown on land sharks

Aurangabad: Cracking down on people usurping, illegally transferring and selling off its properties, the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf has in the past few days registered nine offences in the state. In one of the offences, a dismissed additional collector-rank officer was also arrested.

As per an estimate, the offences registered in the cases related to land having market valuation of well over Rs 100 crore. The Waqf authorities on Friday reached the Paithan police station in Aurangabad rural for registering an offence against suspect land sharks for illegally demarcating a plot belonging to a Dargah and selling it off illegally.

Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel said, “The land sharks have played a key role in all the scams. These properties are meant for the sustenance of poor, destitute, widows and orphans.”

Newly appointed Waqf chairman and MLC Wajahat Mirza said, “We are not only getting the offences registered, but have also started taking concrete steps to reclaim Waqf properties in the state.”

Two days ago, the Paithan police registered an offence against three suspects for demarcating over 28 acres of land belonging to Maulana Sahab Dargah and selling it off illegally.

In Partur of Jalna district, an offence was registered on November 12 for the illegal sale off two properties belonging to local mosque as well as dargah.

In the offence registered at Ashti police station of Beed, where almost 15 people have been named as accused for allegedly conniving in illegal transfer of Waqf properties worth crores, a dismissed additional collector was arrested on October 9.

In May, an offence was registered against a lawyer from Osmanabad and some others for issuing bogus NOC to a doctor couple, who intended to take a Waqf property in Badlapur on lease.

Similar offences have also been registered in Aurangabad, Jalna and Parbhani districts. Waqf authorities maintained that they are only getting the offences registered, but have also started taking concrete steps to reclaim Waqf properties in the state.