Reply to RTI application exposes Titwala land scam; Dadar cops register FIR against two; the accused allegedly assured him that a house would be constructed and the land would later be transferred in his name
The victim, Dnyaneshwar Kalikhan, stands on the plot in Titwala on which he had spent his life savings. Pic/By Special Arrangement
A 56-year-old security guard’s dream of owning a home came crashing down after an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed that the land he believed he had purchased eight years ago was not legally in his name. Dnyaneshwar Dattaram Kalikhan, a resident of Worli Koliwada, alleged that he was cheated of Rs 27 lakh, his entire life savings, after being promised a plot in Titwala where a house would be built for his family.
Kalikhan, who works at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), told the police he was introduced in 2017 to Janardhan Shivadikar and Vishwanath Keni, who claimed to be landowners and intermediaries. The plot, he said, was shown to him as a 14-gunta piece of land at Sangoda-Kondheri village in the Madha area of Titwala West, Kalyan taluka, Thane district. The accused allegedly assured him that a house would be constructed and the land would later be transferred in his name.
“I trusted them because they showed me documents and assured me the land was genuine and would be transferred to my name,” said Kalikhan, who lives with his wife and two children.
According to Dadar police, the accused allegedly presented fabricated gram panchayat records, property documents, and house tax receipts to gain his confidence. Believing the claims, Kalikhan paid Rs 27.07 lakh in instalments between 2017 and 2022, through both cash and cheques, with several payments made at his residence. “I even sold all the gold jewellery we had for the land,” he added.
Suspicious when construction failed to progress beyond groundwork, and the accused began giving evasive replies, Kalikhan filed an RTI with the Titwala gram panchayat. The response revealed that no house number, tax receipts, or ownership records existed in his or his wife’s name. “That’s when I realised the land I thought I owned was nothing,” he said.
“I am an ordinary man who spent his entire life savings dreaming of a home for my family, but I was cheated by Janardan and Yashwant Keni, the son of landowner Eknath Ramu Keni, is also involved. I trusted them completely, and today I am left with nothing. I hope someone will finally help me get justice,” the victim added. An FIR has been registered at Dadar police station. The two accused will be issued notices to appear and give their statements, police said.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
