Ahmedabad: Five people have been arrested for allegedly posing as trustees and collecting rent for 17 years from nearly 100 houses and shops built on land belonging to two waqf trusts, Kaanchni Masjid Trust and Shah Bada Kasam Trust, in Ahmedabad, said a police officer.
These trusts are registered under the state waqf board. The accused are identified as Salim Khan Pathan, Mohammad Yasar Sheikh, Mahmoodkhan Pathan, Faiz Mohammad Chobdar, and Shahid Ahmed Sheikh.
The complaint was filed by Mohammad Rafiq Ansari, a tenant of a property linked to the Kaanchni Masjid Trust. He stated that none of the five were actual trustees. The accused reportedly forged documents to claim control over the trust properties.
Zone 3 DCP Bharat Rathod said that an FIR was registered for cheating and document forgery. He confirmed that the accused used trust property for personal benefits. “Over 5,000 square metres of trust land were used for unauthorised construction. Around 100 houses and shops were built between 2008 and 2025. Rent was collected every month but not deposited into the trust’s account,” said Rathod.
Police said Salim Khan Pathan has five criminal cases registered against him, including one under the Arms Act. He and the others also claimed ownership of money collected from the donation box at the Shah Bada Kasam Trust.
The complaint further mentions that the accused built 15 shops on land meant for an Urdu school. The land was earlier handed to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. “The school was damaged during the 2001 earthquake and was later demolished in 2009. After this, the accused built shops on the vacant land. One of the shops was used by Salim Khan as an office, while the rest were rented out,” said a police official.
According to police, the accused did not submit rent collected from these shops or houses to either the waqf board or AMC.
“The accused also submitted a forged affidavit to the waqf board in Gandhinagar in 2024 to falsely claim trusteeship. This was reportedly used to mislead both the board and the AMC,” the police official said.
Police estimate that the total misuse of property and funds could be worth at least Rs 100 crore. All five accused were arrested. The investigation is ongoing, and more persons may be involved, said the cops.