Pune Land Fraud: Woman Falsely Declared Dead to Seize Baner Property, FIR Filed

Baner, 24th April 2026: A serious case of alleged land fraud has come to light in Baner, where a woman was falsely declared deceased in official records in an attempt to illegally transfer ownership of her property. The manipulation of government records through forged documents was uncovered before the land could be fully usurped, following timely action by the family.

A complaint filed by Mrunalini Sanjay Nikam (52), a resident of Pashan, has led Baner Police to register an FIR against Savita Dattatray Somvanshi, Shailesh Rathod, and Dattatray Sambhajirao Shinde. The alleged fraud occurred over a period of more than two years, between February 28, 2024, and April 17, 2026.

According to police, the disputed property is a 430 sq m plot located near West Port in Baner. The land was originally purchased in 1988 by Nikam’s father in the name of her mother. In recent years, due to age-related health issues, Nikam’s mother had executed a power of attorney authorising her daughter to manage and develop the property.

Nikam had initiated plans to develop the plot and signed a development agreement in April 2026. However, while verifying land details on a government online portal as part of the process, she discovered that the ownership records had been altered. Instead of her mother’s name, the records reflected the name of another woman.

Suspecting foul play, Nikam approached the Upper Circle Office in Karvenagar for clarification. During the inquiry, officials found that the land records had been tampered with using forged documents submitted to revenue authorities.

Investigations revealed that the accused, led by Somvanshi, allegedly manipulated entries in the e-Hakk system, a digital platform used for updating land records, to initiate the transfer of the property. As part of the alleged fraud, a fabricated death certificate was created to falsely show that Nikam’s mother had passed away, even though she is alive.

Using this false claim, the accused allegedly generated forged heirship certificates and other supporting documents. With the assistance of Rathod, these documents were submitted to the tehsil office, where land ownership records were altered to reflect a change in title. The accused also allegedly completed procedures to register themselves as legal heirs to the property.

Additionally, Shinde is accused of preparing a fake power of attorney in the name of Nikam’s mother, further strengthening the fraudulent claim over the land.

Police officials said that the complainant’s prompt verification of records prevented the fraudulent transfer from being finalised, thereby averting a major property loss.

A case has been registered under relevant sections related to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. Assistant Police Inspector Babasaheb Zarekar is conducting further investigations to determine the full extent of the fraud and whether more individuals are involved.