This syndicate is said to have links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim .
Details of multiple criminal offences committed by Anand Agarwal and his associates — including land-grabbing through forged documents and threats issued via the underworld — have been submitted to senior police officials, along with FIR records, complaints, and supporting evidence.
Following a Bombay High Court directive, the complainants, Kalpesh Jain and his father Rajubhai Shah, have been granted police protection after receiving life threats allegedly routed through the Dawood Ibrahim gang.
Sources indicate that a fresh petition is likely to be filed in the High Court, seeking stringent directions to add delinquent police officers as co-accused under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). These officers are accused of deliberately shielding Agarwal and others by stalling arrests in offences that carry punishment of life imprisonment.
Mumbai: Legal moves are underway to invoke the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Anand Agarwal, Harish Agarwal, Pratibha Shah, and their associates, accused of systematically grabbing land through forged documents and underworld threats.
According to the complaint filed by Rajubhai Shah and Kalpesh Jain, the accused have repeatedly intimidated landowners with the backing of Pakistan-based don Chhota Shakeel’s gang, while also forging bogus sale deeds to usurp properties of local farmers. The complainants have submitted detailed evidence, FIR records, and documents to senior police officers, while also urging Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis to hand over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Despite multiple FIRs—including Crime No. 430/2022 under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, 34, and FIR No. 78/2025 under BNS provisions—the accused continue to evade strict action. Allegations have also been raised against certain police officers for shielding the accused; the complainants demand that such officers be added as co-accused under MCOCA.
The Bombay High Court has already granted police protection to complainant Rajubhai Shah after threats to his life. Meanwhile, petitions seeking contempt action against the accused for using forged deeds in court have been admitted, with directions to file replies by September 16.
The complaint stresses that the Agarwal group is not a one-time offender but a habitual land-grab syndicate operating with mafia backing, causing severe harassment to local landowners. “If immediate action is not taken, we will move the High Court,” Shah warned.
The modus operandi of the syndicate is same . They first create bogus, false, and fabricated land documents (sale deeds), then interfere with ownership rights, and then unleash the underworld to intimidate citizens into surrendering their properties. If complaints arise, lean on extortionist and corrupt police officers to bury the case.
This organized criminal racket is allegedly being run in Mira Bhayandar by Anand Agarwal, Harish Agarwal, Pratibha Shah, and their network. A complaint has been submitted to senior police officials and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking MCOCA action, transfer of the probe to the CBI, and immediate arrests. Petitioner Rajubhai Shah has warned that if swift action is not taken, he will move the Bombay High Court.
Multiple FIRs, Serious Charges
The Navghar Police have already registered Crime No. 430/2022 against Anand Agarwal, Harish Agarwal, Pratibha Shah, Parin Shah, and others under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, 34, with a chargesheet filed.
More recently, Mira Road Police booked FIR No. 78/2025 against Agarwal and 20 others under BNS Sections 126(2), 329(3), 189(2), 324(5), 131, 115(2), 352, 351(2), 37(1), 135, for allegedly sending a gang of goons to trespass and forcibly seize another person’s land.
Threats Through Dawood Ibrahim Gang
Complainants Rajubhai Shah and Kalpesh Jain reported life threats routed through Pakistan-based gangster Chhota Shakeel’s gang, allegedly at the behest of Agarwal and other co-accused. Taking note of the threats and evidence, the Bombay High Court ordered police protection for Rajubhai Shah.
Bogus Deeds Used in Court
The racket extended into the judiciary as well. Active gang members like Pratibha Shah allegedly fabricated bogus sale deeds and presented them as genuine before the High Court. Petitions have been filed against them under IPC Sections 467, 420, 192, 133, 120B, 34 and the Contempt of Courts Act, with the High Court directing the accused to file replies by September 16.
Pattern of Habitual Offending
The complaint highlights that the Agarwal group are habitual land grabbers. In another case (FIR No. 430/06222 at Navghar Police Station), charges under IPC Section 467—punishable with life imprisonment—have been framed against them.
Evidence also shows systematic manipulation: creating bogus deeds, tampering with land records, and illegally seizing properties.
The Dead Man’s Sale Deed
One striking instance: Namdev Balkrishna Patil had passed away on 14 May 1973, yet a forged sale deed was allegedly executed in his name in 1974. This was later exposed in an order by the Sub-Divisional Officer dated 22 August 2002, which annulled the fraudulent mutation in the accused’s names—28 years after the fraud.
Similarly, impersonator Kachralal Shah falsely claimed to be the Power of Attorney holder of Mrs. Merry Francis Isabel and executed forged deeds. To date, no Power of Attorney has ever been produced, reinforcing the fraudulent nature of the transaction.
Forged Records, Land Grabs, Mafia Links: Pattern of Organised Crime Laid Bare
Even the paperwork itself betrayed the fraud. In a 1974 sale deed, impersonator Kachralal Shah’s age was listed as 60, but in a deed executed just a year later in 1975, his age mysteriously dropped to 56—though it should have been 61. This blatant discrepancy, investigators say, is conclusive proof of forgery.
Another case reveals how land belonging to local resident Anant Patil was usurped with forged documents and sold off for a staggering ₹13.5 crore. Based on the investigation, Navghar Police registered Crime No. 430/2022 and filed charges under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security – punishable with life imprisonment), 471 (using forged documents), 474 (possessing forged documents), and 34 (common intention).
Pattern of a Land Mafia
From these and other cases, a chilling pattern has emerged: a syndicated operation built on fabricating documents, cheating landowners, threatening citizens with mafia muscle, and leveraging corrupt police officials to escape accountability.
The fallout has been severe. Dozens of local landowning families have endured mental trauma, financial ruin, and social harassment.
Demand for MCOCA and CBI Probe
With evidence piling up, complainants and activists are demanding urgent action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), inclusion of complicit police officers as co-accused, and a transfer of the investigation to the CBI to ensure an impartial and comprehensive probe.
