Ahmedabad: The Gaekwad Haveli police have booked seven individuals for allegedly forging documents to illegally acquire and sell land belonging to the centuries-old Trikamji Mandir in Jamalpur.

The complaint, lodged by Brijesh Parmar, an inspector at the Public Trusts Registration Office in Bahumali Bhavan, Vastrapur, led to the arrest of two persons and the booking of five others.

Those arrested include Mohammad Bilal Hanif Sheikh, son of deceased gangster Hanif Dadhi, and Zeeshan Kadri. Dadhi was shot dead by unidentified assailants in 2022, and his killers remain at large. The other accused named in the FIR are Mohammed Asgar Pathan, Nizamuddin Shaikh, Rohan Kadri, Saddam Hussain Qureshi, and Babulal Shah. The accused face charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating, and presenting forged documents as genuine. Police arrested Bilal Sheikh, a builder, from near the Kachchi Masjid area in Jamalpur.

According to the FIR, the Trikamji Temple complex houses sacred idols and multiple shrines. In 1966, four trustees were appointed to manage the temple. After their tenure ended, no new trustees were appointed, placing the property under the supervision of the Charity Commissioner.

In 1999, two individuals — Shivramdas Vaishnav and Mahant Siyaramdas — allegedly sold the temple land to Babulal Shah, then associated with the Sahel Owners Association, without securing the mandatory approval from the Charity Commissioner.

The disputed land, located on City Survey Nos. 593 and 594 in Jamalpur Ward No. 1, is registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. A Gujarat High Court order dated January 11, 2012, had imposed a status quo, prohibiting any transaction or change in possession due to an ongoing civil dispute.

Despite this, the accused allegedly forged documents and misled authorities to obtain permission for the sale. On February 22, 2023, the land was reportedly sold for ₹2.36 crore to Mohammad Bilal Hanif Sheikh and others. The complaint alleges that the accused concealed key court rulings, used expired or unauthorized resolutions, and included as a witness a former member who had resigned due to medical reasons, rendering the sale illegal.

Based on the complaint, Gaekwad Haveli police registered an FIR against all seven accused. DeshGujarat