Decade After Owner's Death, Land Sold? Pune Police Launch Investigation
Pune, 20th February 2026: An alleged land fraud involving a prime 11,600 sq ft plot opposite the Aga Khan Palace in Yerawada has come to light after property documents were reportedly executed in the name of a man who died in 2012.
Delhi-based businessman Abhinav Kotoru (50) has lodged a complaint at Yerawada Police Station, following which an FIR has been registered and an investigation initiated.
According to the complaint, the plot was originally purchased in 1972 by late Brij Kishan Kotoru, who passed away on August 21, 2012. After obtaining a court order, his legal heirs secured a legal heir certificate in 2022, and in 2025 the mutation entry was updated in their names at the City Survey Office.
The alleged fraud surfaced on February 7, 2026, when some individuals approached the plot’s watchman claiming they had purchased the property and asked him to vacate the premises. The complainant said one of them introduced himself as the Chairman and Managing Director of “S.K. Agro” and claimed the plot had been bought from Brij Kishan Kotoru in December 2024.
Despite Kotoru’s death more than a decade earlier, an Agreement to Sale, Sale Deed, and Mortgage Deed were allegedly registered on December 3 and 4, 2024, at the Sub-Registrar’s Office in Haveli No. 19, Aundh. The complaint alleges that an unidentified impostor was presented as Brij Kishan Kotoru during the registration process and that the documents were executed with the help of two witnesses and a representative of S.K. Agrofood Tech Pvt. Ltd.
Based on these documents, the accused reportedly initiated a bank loan process. The complainant further alleged that the transaction was shown as a sale worth ₹11 crore and that stamp duty of approximately ₹70–80 lakh was paid.
The legal heirs have accused the suspects of criminal conspiracy and cheating in an attempt to illegally grab the high-value property.
Senior Police Inspector Anjum Bagwan is supervising the investigation. Police are examining the registered documents, CCTV footage from the Sub-Registrar’s office, official land records, and related bank transactions. Further investigation is underway.
