In a significant development in the ongoing Rs46.95 crore land scam, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police has arrested Manoj Motiram Shinde, a 50-year-old consultant and son of retired police inspector Motiram Shinde. The arrest stems from allegations that Shinde defrauded a Bengaluru-based investment firm, Expat Projects and Development Private Limited, by illegally selling its land to third parties without authorization.
Shinde, a resident of Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, had connections with Expat Projects through a consulting company. Leveraging this trust, he reportedly sold 10.68 acres of company-owned land in Sindhudurg district in 2015 for Rs97.60 lakh. Out of this amount, Rs50 lakh was deposited directly into his personal bank account. Shinde is accused of knowing that he was prohibited from selling the land, as the investment firm had made the payments for it. Despite this, he allegedly went ahead with the sale and helped other employees carry out similar fraudulent transactions.
The ongoing investigation reveals that Expat Projects had purchased land in the names of employees and associated individuals to comply with the Maharashtra Agricultural Lands (Ceiling on Holdings) Act, 1961. The company’s directors accused Shinde and other employees of breaching their trust and selling off land for personal gain, which was meant for the firm and its investors.
In a broader context, this arrest ties into a larger investigation by the EOW. In 2020, the Mumbai Police had already filed a case against Expat Projects and its directors for allegedly defrauding investors of Rs700 crore. The firm had attracted clients to invest in agricultural and non-agricultural plots through installment schemes, promising land registration or full refunds with interest. However, the firm failed to deliver on its promises, citing internal fraud as the reason for its default.
