A major land fraud has come to light in Surat’s Dumas area, where an attempt was made to illegally usurp land worth crores using bogus documents.

Jayesh Patel, a farmer from Dumas, Surat, purchased agricultural land from Magan and Manchha Mulji, who had converted the land to ‘Juni Sharat’ (old tenure) from ‘Navi Sharat’ (new tenure) after paying the required premium.

As part of the land transaction, Patel published a notice in newspapers seeking title clearance.

Following the publication, a lawyer raised objections, claiming that in 2005, the heirs of Mulji had already sold the land to Poonam Mer. However, no proper supporting documents or legal proof were provided to validate this claim.

Subsequently, Patel contacted the original landowners and their heirs, who denied any association with Mer. Patel then legally registered the sale deed in his name.

Thereafter, an unidentified individual claiming to represent Mer visited the home of Subhash Patel, a family member of the landowners, and demanded ₹1 crore to settle the dispute and ensure no further objections would be raised.

This incident has led to a police complaint against Mer for fraud and attempted extortion. Notably, Mer had previously been accused of land grabbing in Vesu, involving property worth crores, and was jailed in December 2023 for a similar offence.