PANAJI
The Special Investigation Team (SIT - Land Grab) arrested a 'hardened criminal' on charges of grabbing land by forging documents and evading arrest for five years.
The accused identified as Siddiqui alias Suleman Khan, 54, was arrested in Hubli, Karnataka after a three-month investigation by the SIT that tracked his movements.
"This is a hardened criminal involved in many cases in Goa. He was last arrested five years back. Since then he has been absconding. He switched between various cities in Karnataka to not come under police radar. We have arrested him after hectic efforts of last three months by piecing together each and every clue we had about him," SIT SP Rahul Gupta said in a media statement issued on Thursday.
The officer revealed that Khan's alleged illegal property was earlier demolished by the Mapusa municipality. He had changed his looks, vehicle, mobile phone, SIM card, and location often to evade arrest. His present arrest pertains to a forgery and land fraud case filed on September 19, 2020 at Mapusa Police Station.
Civil Registrar cum Sub Registrar's Office in Bardez had lodged a complaint that Khan allegedly forged documents to impersonate legitimate landowners and transferred ownership of a property in Mapusa. He also used counterfeit stamps to authenticate the false documents by depriving the original owners of their legal rights.
Gupta stated that besides the Mapusa case, Khan has an extensive criminal record and is a habitual offender. He has multiple property fraud/forgery cases and other serious offences including murder. The accused is now remanded to none days of police custody.
