Five Arrested in ₹2.29 Crore Navi Mumbai Land Fraud; Fake Aadhaar and PAN

 Cards Used to Sell Property of Deceased Owners

Navi Mumbai: Navi Mumbai Police have arrested five members of an alleged fraud syndicate accused of illegally selling a ₹2.29 crore plot of land by impersonating its deceased owners using forged identity documents. The arrests followed a five-month investigation involving technical surveillance, digital evidence analysis, mobile location tracking and intelligence-led operations conducted across multiple states.

According to investigators, the alleged mastermind of the conspiracy, Suraj Vasudev Shinde, orchestrated the fraud by persuading his father and brother-in-law to impersonate the property's original owners. The accused allegedly created forged Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and other identity documents in the names of the deceased landowners to establish fake ownership and execute the sale.

The disputed property is located in Karanjade, Navi Mumbai, and was originally owned by brothers Nathan Eliyahu Chincholkar and Shalom (Selim) Eliyahu Chincholkar, who had migrated to Israel several years ago and later passed away. Police allege that the accused exploited their deaths to unlawfully claim ownership and fraudulently sell the land for approximately ₹2.29 crore.

Investigators said the accused deliberately changed their mobile numbers, locations and identities to avoid detection, making the investigation particularly challenging. During the probe, Suraj Shinde allegedly travelled across several states, including Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, while attempting to evade arrest. Some of his relatives, also suspected of involvement, reportedly accompanied him during this period.

Using advanced technical surveillance, mobile location tracking, digital forensics and intelligence inputs, investigators eventually traced Suraj Shinde to Thivim, Goa, where he was arrested along with his uncle Satish Namdev Shinde and cousin Tejas Pramod Surve. Police also confirmed that another accused, Manish More, had already been arrested by Mapusa Police in an unrelated theft case and was lodged in Colvale Central Jail. Vasudev Shinde was separately arrested from Dombivli on July 27.

Search operations conducted after the arrests led to the recovery of forged Aadhaar and PAN cards allegedly prepared in the names of the deceased property owners. Investigators are now examining the source of the forged documents and whether a larger organised criminal network assisted in facilitating the fraud.

Police are also tracing the financial trail to determine how the proceeds from the fraudulent land sale were transferred and whether additional individuals benefited from the transaction. Officials believe further arrests and disclosures are possible as the investigation continues. Legal proceedings in the case remain underway.

Key Highlights