Ahmedabad: Police in Ahmedabad have apprehended five individuals for allegedly posing as trustees and illegally collecting rent worth millions of rupees from properties belonging to the Kanch Ni Masjid (Glass Mosque) and Shah Bada Kasam Trust in the Jamalpur area.

According to a complaint filed at the Gaekwad Haveli Police Station, the accused, despite not being appointed trustees by the Waqf Board, allegedly misrepresented themselves to tenants residing in the trust’s properties and shopkeepers operating on land owned by the board and given to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

The investigation revealed that the Waqf Board had previously allocated land to the AMC for the construction of a school. However, following the damage to the school building during the 2001 earthquake, the accused allegedly demolished the structure in 2009. Instead of rebuilding the Urdu school, they are accused of constructing approximately ten shops on the land. One of the accused, identified as Salimkhan, reportedly established his office, Sodagar Construction, in one of these shops, while the remaining nine were rented out. The collected rent was allegedly neither deposited into the trust’s account nor with the corporation.

Police further stated that Salimkhan and his associates are also accused of illegally collecting rent from around 15 residential properties. Investigations indicate that Salimkhan Pathanbhai, Mehboob Khan, and others, none of whom were legitimate trustees, were involved in this unauthorized rent collection.

Furthermore, it has come to light that since 2005, Salimkhan and the other four accused allegedly exploited the trust’s properties, which include 25 to 30 shops and approximately 200 houses, including two illegally constructed six-story apartment buildings. They are accused of collecting rent from these properties for their personal gain. Additionally, they allegedly misappropriated the monthly income of around ₹50,000 from the donation box of the Shah Bada Kasim Trust.

Bharat Rathod, the in-charge DCP of Zone 3, stated that the accused had been collecting rent on properties estimated to be worth ₹100 crore. They were allegedly charging ₹5,000 to ₹7,000 per house and ₹10,000 per shop. The illegal rent collection is believed to have been ongoing for the past 20 years.

The five accused, identified as Salim Khan Pathan, Mohammad Yasar Sheikh, Mehmud Khan Pathan, Faiz Mohammad Jobdar, and Shahid Ahmed Sheikh, have been arrested, and police have initiated further investigation into the matter. It was also revealed that Salim Khan has previous criminal records, including charges of murder and rioting. He had allegedly submitted a false affidavit to the Waqf Board in Gandhinagar on July 23, 2024, claiming to be a trustee.

The police are currently investigating the extent of the financial misappropriation and the involvement of any other individuals in this alleged scam. DeshGujarat