Man behind encroachment near Chandola lake held in Rajasthan

Ahmedabad: Police have arrested from Rajasthan the alleged mastermind behind encroachment on government land at Chandola lake in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city, days after the authorities launched a massive operation to raze the illegal settlement there, officials said.

The accused helped illegal Bangladeshi immigrants get rental accommodation in the settlement, they said.

Based on a specific tip-off, a team of city crime branch nabbed Mehmood Pathan aka Lalla Bihari from his hideout in Banswara district of neighbouring Rajasthan and brought him here on Friday, an official release said.

Pathan, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was planning to go to his native place from Rajasthan. In 2023, two FIRs related to assault and attempt to murder were registered against him by the Ahmedabad police, the release issued by the crime branch said.

Pathan was on the run after authorities launched a mega demolition drive at Chandola lake on April 29 following detention of several Bangladeshi nationals who were found to be residing illegally in the settlements created on the periphery of the lake.

In the aftermath of the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the city police raided Chandola lake area on April 26 and detained over 150 Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the area.

After learning about the involvement of Pathan in encroaching the government land at Chandola lake and helping illegal Bangladeshi immigrants get rental accommodation using bogus documents, the crime branch had registered an FIR against Pathan on the same day, the release said.

As per the FIR, Pathan was involved in electricity theft, provided illegal electricity connections to settlers, misused electricity bills to prepare rent agreements and collected rent from houses built on the government land.

Pathan was booked on the charges of theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery. During the demolition drive, authorities demolished his lavish farmhouse along with nearly 2,000 illegally built houses and hutments on the periphery of the lake, the authorities said.