Meerut, Nov. 23 -- The Bareilly district administration and the Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) launched a crackdown on properties linked to coloniser Mohammad Arif, a close associate of Maulana Tauqeer Raza, on Saturday. Raza allegedly orchestrated the unrest on September 26 in the city and is currently lodged in Fatehgarh Jail. BDA teams reached Pilibhit Bypass Road and the Jagatpur area and began demolishing two of Arif's commercial complexes, both found to be constructed without approved building plans. Prior to the action, Baradari police had sealed the entire area, with CO-III Pankaj Srivastava leading forces from multiple police stations. Using loudspeakers, the CO warned residents to stay away to prevent any disturbance. According to BDA vice-chairman A Manikandan, Arif had illegally constructed a two-storey commercial market in Jagatpur and a clothing showroom on the Pilibhit Bypass. The premises housed a gym, home decor centre and several shops. After the buildings were confirmed to be illegal, both sites were sealed on October 11. On Saturday, BDA bulldozers began razing 15 shops and two large showrooms. The demolition started from the rear side of the complexes, with walls collapsing one after another under the force of the JCB machines. Heavy police deployment remained on-site as crowds gathered to witness the action. Investigations revealed that three years ago, Arif had built the illegal two-storey market in Jagatpur and sold several shops for around Rs.30 lakh each. Shops that remained unsold were rented out at Rs.8,000-9,000 per month. During the October sealing, shop owners had claimed they were not even given time to remove their goods, despite having purchased the units from Arif. Another building of Arif's on Pilibhit Road, which housed Zahid Hussain's furniture shop on the ground floor, was also found to have no approved map or records. The structure, built seven to eight years ago, was included in the demolition drive. Traffic on the road was halted during the action, and electricity supply was cut as a precaution. Local resident Mohammad Ilyas said the two-storey Jagatpur complex had been built around two and a half years ago, and several shops were rented out. However, residents were unaware that the property involved encroachment or illegal construction....