Redevelopment Row: Police Register 2 FIRs For Alleged Forgery & Illegal Eviction

Mumbai's Worli police have registered two criminal complaints against nine former leaders of the New Sagar Vihar Nagar Co-operative Housing Society, Samudra Real Estate, and their directors. The allegations stem from a redevelopment project in the Worli area. The complaints allege fraud, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and illegal eviction.

The complaints were filed by two society members, Umar Shaikh, 57, and Habib Nagori, 70, who sought investigation in 2021. The court then ordered the police to probe the matter under the Code of Criminal Procedure on June 25. The FIRs claim that the society, established in 1997, represented slum dwellers who were later eligible for rehabilitation.

The complainants alleged that former leaders continued to represent the society even after its dissolution in September 2018. They also claimed forged signatures and fabricated documents were used to justify the BMC eviction in 2019, leading to the demolition of six slum structures on May 8, 2019. The FIRs also allege that consent letters and declarations for redevelopment were submitted after the society's agreement with the developer was terminated on June 14, 2021. The police are currently examining various records and documents related to the case.