Mumbai: Khar bungalow owner beaten, humiliated and threatened for her Rs 25 crore property

Mumbai is dotted by bungalows and cottages built by its original inhabitants most of whose owners are now old and feeble The land mafia always on the lookout for prey have set their sights on these old structures that sit on land worth crores trying every trick in the book to either bully the inhabitants into selling or trying to force them out of their homes in some cases with the help of the local police or politicians In the first of a series of reports midday highlights the plight of a bungalow owner who has been struggling to keep her Chuim Village home out of the clutches of the land mafiaMarietta Fernandesrsquos cottage at Khar PicPradeep DhivarThe 54yearold woman Marietta Fernandes said the main culprit Clarence Pereira alias Peter had been trying to take over her ancestral property in Khar for years ldquoI have known Peter since 2013 and he would visit my house at least twice a monthrdquo The accused executed his nefarious plan to take over her ancestral property after she was admitted to Thane Mental Hospital TMH where she was an inmate for six monthsHow she ended up in TMHLast year in November Marietta was rescued from her cottage in Chuim Village of Khar West where she was found with the skeletal remains of her mother Yvonne Marietta worked as a chef in London and Dubai and returned to Mumbai to live with her mother after her father Percy died in 2004 Both her sister and brother live abroad ldquoMy mother was a chronic arthritis patient and was unable to walk on her own After celebrating my birthday on March 25 she told me to make her bed on the floor Next morning she did not wake uprdquo she said ldquoI loved my mother she meant the world to me She was the reason I returned hererdquo she added Months later in November Khar police recovered the remains of Yvonne wrapped in a bedsheet under the cotElvy Pereira a distant relative of Peter helped Marietta get out of the accusedrsquos clutchesMarietta told midday that she was not taken immediately to the mental hospital ldquoI was kept at the police station for at least a week Cops had also taken me to Sir JJ Hospital for checkupsrdquo she recalled ldquoThen one day two police officers including subinspector Tanaji Kolthe took me to a place I learnt that I was being admitted to a mental hospital in Thane at the time of filling up a formrdquo she saidTalking about her experience at the facility she said ldquoThe staff members were horriblehellip Inmates were poured water through a pipe by a female staff for a bath there was no soap only twothree towels for over 60 inmates The toilets were soiled and it stunkhellip Other inmates would throw your thingshellip It is hard to explain how horrible the experience wasrdquo ldquoPeter took me out of TMH on April 29 He had come with his wife Nancy and son Rafael who drove the car Peter had told the people at TMH that he would take care of merdquo she saidTMH speakWhen the midday team visited TMH to enquire if procedures were followed medical superintendent Dr Sanjay Bodade said ldquoThe woman remained in our supervision for six months We decided to discharge her from the hospital after she became fine We handed her over to her uncle whose credentials were verified by the local police KharrdquoOne hell to the otherOn their drive back to the city Peter told her to stay at the rented house of his friend Neelima Deshmukh in Andheri East and asked her to follow their instructions Rafael allegedly also threatened to kill her siblings ldquoI was terrified as they all were shouting and threatening me right after I had stepped out of a world of mad peoplerdquo she saidThe Thane Mental Hospital where Marietta lived for around six monthsldquoI was forced to do all the domestic work for around two months at Neelimarsquos flatrdquo Marietta said adding that she was beaten up as she did not want to sign the documentsShe further said that Peter had also planned to kill her ldquoBut Deshmukh dissuaded him to murder me as the flat was taken on rent in her name She instead suggested that he kill me elsewhererdquo she saidAfter two months of harrowing experience there Peter took Marietta to Khar police station where she said she again met subinspector Kolthe ldquoFrom Khar police station Peter took me to my house in Chuim Village He forcibly grabbed all my documents including PAN card Aadhaar card voter ID card original property documentshellip He also took my motherrsquos documentsrdquo Marietta told middayPolice speakSpeaking with midday PSI Kolthe who is handling the case said After Mariettarsquos mothers death we found that she is mentally ill and sent her to the mental hospital After a few months the hospital sent us a letter stating she was fit and fully recovered TMH also asked to inform her family members We responded saying we did not find any of her family members as they reside abroad Shockingly twothree months after she was released she arrived at Khar police station with Clarence and gave us a letter to take custody of her bungalow We took the letter and handed over the keys to herrdquo He further added ldquoWe didnt give any permission to TMH to release Marietta They discharged her without informing us We dont know where she is now We did our job legallyHow it came to lightElvy Pereira 72 a distant relative of Peter told midday that he had been trying to convince her since April to accommodate two women at her house in Andheri ldquoI made excuses as I know he is involved in many crimesrdquo she said ldquoIn September he called me again to see if I was at home Then on September 19 he brought two womenmdashNeelima and Mariettamdashto my house I was told that they would stay at my house for a few days and then go to Goardquo said PereiraldquoOne day when Neelima went out to buy something Marietta came to me and asked for help with folded hands She broke into tears and narrated her ordealrdquo she recalled Pereira discussed the issue with others and took Marietta to a safe location ldquoToday Marietta is safe and sound but her property has been captured by Peterrdquo she saidAccused saysPeter or Clarence Pereira a Bandrabased developer who has been involved in several crimes including cheating molestation rape theft etc claimed he bought the 1800 sq ft property for Rs 450 crore from Mariettarsquos mother in 2013 ldquoI have paid them through cheques and I have all the legal and registered documentsrdquo he claimed Peter further told midday that he spent a lot of money to take Marietta out of TMH ldquoI got her released from the mental hospital and spent a lot of money as hospital billhellipI met the superintendent Dr Sanjay Bodade and brought her outrdquo he saidHe also said that Marietta allegedly went missing following which he registered a missing personrsquos report but refused to name the police station Countering Peterrsquos claim that he has purchased the property Marietta said ldquoHe is a liarhellip We have never received any money as such And itrsquos a road facing property with a huge garden in a posh area The actual price of the property is not less than R25 crore He must have forged some documentsrdquo