Ponda: Villagers of Padalwada-Bethora, Ponda, have demanded an inquiry by ED in a land grab case in the village. Ponda police on Tuesday had arrested Fardeen Shaikh, 40, a resident of Sadar, Ponda, in connection with a major land grab, while the then deputy town planner and two directors of a real estate development firm have moved for anticipatory bail.The arrest was made more than a month after an FIR was registered.At a press conference on Thursday, villagers demanded a thorough investigation against everyone involved.Although the land in question belonged to the comunidade, possession was later granted to villagers based on traditional usage rights. Plots were carved out of this land illegally and sold to some 50 individuals. Following a complaint filed with the special investigation team (SIT) regarding this matter by Uchchari Gaude of Bethora, Shaikh, one of the middlemen involved in this land sale, was arrested.The villagers noted that a trend of grabbing land within the state and selling it to outsiders is on, and a fresh attempt to illegally sell more plots is being hatched at Bethora.
