Land worth Rs 150 crore gifted to Shinde Sena MP's driver, police launch probe

Descendants of Diwans of the Hyderabad Nizam in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar gifted land worth Rs 150 crores to the driver of a Shiv Sena MP and MLA, triggering a preliminary investigation by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the local police.

The 3-acre prime property was transferred to Jawed Rasul Shaikh, a driver who has been working with Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumre and his son, Paithan MLA Vilas Bhumre, for the past thirteen years. Boards installed on the property now name Shaikh as the owner.

The EOW initiated the probe after receiving a complaint from Advocate Mujahid Khan. According to the complaint, the land was gifted to Shaikh through a Hibanama (gift deed) by Mir Mahmood Ali Mazhar Ali Khan and five other descendants of the Salar Jung family, who served as Diwans or Prime Ministers during the Nizam era.

Shaikh reportedly told the police that he was closely acquainted with the family, which led them to gift him the land. "He knew the family members closely so they had gifted him the land parcel through Hibanama," he allegedly said.

Advocate Khan raised serious doubts about the legitimacy of the gift, highlighting that the Salar Jung descendants had been engaged in a prolonged legal battle over the land, which was finally resolved in their favour in 2022.

He questioned the motive behind gifting such high-value land to someone with no blood relation. “Why, after such a long legal battle for the land, would the family of Salar Jung give away the land to Shaikh as a gift?” the complaint said.

Senior police officials from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar confirmed that a preliminary inquiry is underway and that summons have been issued to the concerned parties, including members of the Salar Jung family who signed the Hibanama.

MLA Vilas Bhumre acknowledged police contact regarding the matter. “I received a call from the police who asked me on how many years Shaikh had been working with the family,” he said. When asked about the land transfer from the erstwhile royal family, Bhumre responded, “I don’t have complete details about it.”

The EOW is scrutinising the land transfer documents and the nature of the relationship between the driver and the royal descendants.

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