Pune Crime News: Police Officer Among Four Booked In ₹100-Crore Land Scam In Wagholi Area
Pune Crime News: Police Officer Among Four Booked In ₹100-Crore Land Scam In Wagholi Area
Pune, May 16, 2025 – A police officer is among four individuals booked in connection with a major land scam in Pune, where the accused allegedly used forged documents and impersonation to grab nearly 10 acres of land in the Wagholi area. An FIR has been registered at the Chandan Nagar police station based on a complaint filed by Police Inspector Swati Khedkar. The accused include former senior police inspector Rajendra Landage, Aparna Patekar alias Aparna Yashpal Sharma, Shailesh Sadashiv Thombre, and Anand Lalsaheb Bhagat.
According to the complaint, the fraudulent activity occurred between 2022 and May 2023. The group allegedly conspired to usurp prime land by presenting a fake landowner at the sub-registrar’s office. Aparna Patekar impersonated Aparna Yashpal Sharma, the actual landowner who resides in Dubai. The impersonation was supported using forged Aadhaar and PAN cards.
Following the exposure of the scam, all four accused were booked under various IPC sections including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy).
One of the accused, Anand Bhagat (39) from Wadegaon in Haveli taluka, has been arrested and produced in court. He has been remanded to police custody till May 20, as confirmed by Assistant Public Prosecutor Yogesh Kadam.
Investigators are now looking into how the forged documents were created and whether the accused have links to other similar land-grabbing operations. Police suspect the possibility of a broader land scam network and ongoing criminal conspiracy.
