Mumbai, July 2: The Maharashtra government on Thursday admitted that conditions governing the transfer and redevelopment of a 27-acre land parcel in Kandivali (West), originally earmarked for Mathadi workers, had been violated and announced a comprehensive probe into the matter.

Replying to a starred question raised by MLA Haroon Khan in the Legislative Assembly, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said directions would be issued to the District Collector to reclaim 26,900 square metres of unconstructed surplus government land that was included in the redevelopment arrangement without prior permission.

Originally, 27 acres of land under Survey No 149 in Kandivali (Borivali taluka) was allotted to the Cloth Market and Shops Board. It was subsequently transferred to the ‘Vishal Sahyadri Co-operative Housing Society.’

Under this arrangement, 11,254 sq meters of land went to the Vishal Society, 334 sq meters to a Ganesh Temple, 2,000 sq meters to the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, and the remaining 99,116 sq meters were leased to the Vishal Sahyadri Society.

During the conversion of this Class-II land to Class-I status, the government had collected Rs 42.07 crore as premium and Rs 74.09 crore as stamp duty, said the Minister.

Bawankule said violations were detected in relation to extensions granted for construction deadlines, commercial use of the land and subsequent transfers. While Rs 21.67 crore had earlier been recovered to regularise some of these breaches, legal and procedural irregularities remained.

“The Inspector General of Registration (IGR), Pune, will conduct an inquiry into the stamp duty irregularities and loopholes within the next 15 days. The entire data determining whether there was any manipulation at the lower administrative levels will reach the government in 7 to 15 days,” Minister Bawankule stated.

Furthermore, because a 26,900 sq meter area was included in the agreement with the developer without obtaining prior permission from the District Collector, this has been ruled a major breach of terms. Orders will be issued to take immediate possession of this land, he said.

Minister Bawankule assured that common citizens and Mathadi workers residing in existing houses and built-up housing societies on the land will receive full protection. The government plans to convert these lands into ‘Freehold’ status to grant occupants complete ownership rights.

Participating in the discussion, local MLA Yogesh Sagar raised the pending housing issue of the Mathadi workers. “Around 1,250 to 1,300 families of Mathadi workers, who used to carry cloth bales on their heads back in 1969-70, reside here. Even today, applications from many workers’ children remain pending. Therefore, instead of a blanket reclamation of the 26,900 sq meter surplus land, houses should be built for the Mathadi workers on that site,” he demanded.

Responding to the demand, the Revenue Minister stated, “Although directions have been given to reclaim the land for now due to the breach of terms, the government remains committed to delivering justice to Mathadi workers. We will hold a meeting with the concerned society and MLA Yogesh Sagar. If 1,600 to 2,000 houses are genuinely going to be built for the workers, the government is fully prepared to allot that land for the workers’ housing after charging the required premium. We do not object to the developer receiving a ‘sale component,’ but the government will not compromise on the rightful homes of the original Mathadi workers.”

New Delhi, July 2: Delhi Police’s West District on Thursday busted a fake marriage racket that allegedly targeted unmarried men by arranging fraudulent marriages and cheating them of large sums of money. Three accused have been arrested for allegedly duping a Rajasthan resident of Rs 6 lakh on the pretext of marriage, while efforts are underway to nab the remaining members of the gang.

According to the police, the case came to light after a missing report regarding a woman identified as Lovely alias Lalita was lodged at Police Station Khyala on June 18.

A dedicated team comprising SI Dharam Singh, HC Shree Krishna and W/HC Chameli was constituted under the leadership of SI Kishor, In-charge of Police Post Raghubir Nagar, under the direction of SHO Vinod Kumar and the supervision of ACP Tilak Nagar Dr. Garima Tiwari.

During the investigation, police relied on technical surveillance and local Intelligence, which revealed that the missing woman was staying in Rajasthan’s Pali district. Acting swiftly, the team reached Takhatgarh Police Station in Pali district, where the woman was traced.

During questioning, Lovely allegedly disclosed that she had been married to Kamal Lohra for the past 18 years and that the couple had four children. She further revealed that she, along with her husband and associates Deepu alias Rakesh Ekka, Ankit Verma, Deepika and Gopal, had been running a fake marriage racket targeting unmarried men.

Police said the accused allegedly presented Lovely as an unmarried woman and arranged her marriage with Shravan Vaishnav, a resident of Jalore, Rajasthan, on June 1. The gang allegedly collected Rs 6 lakh from the victim and distributed the money among themselves. Investigators said the group had planned to flee with cash and other valuables from the matrimonial home after the marriage.

Based on the victim’s complaint and evidence collected during the investigation, FIR No. 326/2026 was registered at Police Station Khyala on June 29 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police subsequently arrested three accused — Lovely alias Lalita, her husband Kamal Lohra and Deepu alias Rakesh Ekka. The remaining accused have been identified, and raids are being conducted to apprehend them.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that they repeatedly targeted unmarried men by posing married women as eligible brides, collecting money in the name of marriage and later planning to escape with cash and valuables.

The arrested accused include Lovely alias Lalita and Kamal Lohra, both residents of Gumla, Jharkhand, and Deepu alias Rakesh Ekka, a resident of Raghubir Nagar in Delhi.

Police said further investigation is underway to trace the remaining accused and ascertain whether the gang was involved in similar frauds in other states.

Patna, July 2: The investigation into the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak has expanded to Bihar, with the Maharashtra Special Task Force (STF), assisted by Vaishali Police, conducting a late-night raid at a cyber cafe in Hajipur.

Three individuals, including the cafe operator, were detained for questioning.

According to the police, a team from the Maharashtra STF and the Thane Police, with support from the Vaishali Police, raided a cyber cafe located on Kachhari Road in Hajipur on Wednesday night.

The search operation continued until around 1:00 A.M. on Thursday, during which investigators examined documents and digital devices inside the premises.

Police said three individuals, including cafe operator Sonu Kumar, were detained following the raid.

The detained individuals are currently being questioned by the Maharashtra STF.

No formal announcement of their arrest has been made in the information provided, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to police sources, investigators recovered several digital items and documents during the operation.

These materials will undergo forensic examination as part of the investigation.

A Maharashtra Police official said, “This case is linked to the Maharashtra TET paper leak. We came here to investigate in connection with this matter; we have recovered some suspicious documents, and further action is underway.”

Sonu Kumar’s elder brother, Jitendra Kumar, said Sonu had left for Hajipur on Wednesday evening but did not return home.

According to him, Sonu’s wife informed the family that he was not answering his phone, prompting them to search for him throughout the night before learning about the police action on Thursday.

The Maharashtra TET paper leak investigation has already led to arrests in Maharashtra, Bihar, and Haryana.

Police investigations have identified Bijendra Gupta, a resident of Bihar’s Samastipur district, as the alleged mastermind behind the network.

Investigators have been conducting raids in multiple states in an effort to trace Gupta.

Earlier, the Maharashtra STF also detained and questioned his wife in Patna as part of the financial investigation into the alleged paper leak.

More than 4.28 lakh candidates had registered for the Maharashtra TET examination.

However, after the question paper was allegedly leaked approximately 24 hours before the scheduled examination on June 28, the Maharashtra State Examination Council cancelled the test.

The Maharashtra Police team continues to investigate the case in Bihar, while officials say further action will depend on the evidence collected during the ongoing probe.