Pune, Nov. 16 -- The Maharashtra animal husbandry department on Friday lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against 26 persons, including the acting joint sub-registrar (Class II), Haveli-17, over the alleged illegal sale of a 6.32 hectare (15-acre 32-guntha) government plot in Tathawade near Wakad. The land-valued at nearly Rs.750 crore-was transferred through a private deal for just Rs.33 crore, despite being classified as non-transferable government property requiring prior state approval for any sale or alienation. The 6.32 hectares of government land, Survey No. 20, Mulshi taluka, is owned by the animal husbandry department since 1945-46. While a registered sale deed was executed using outdated 7/12 extracts and old revenue records. The fraudulent transaction came to light during a routine departmental inspection, prompting police to book 26 accused, including joint sub-registrar Vidya Shankar Bade-Sangale, and buyers Kapil Chhotam Fakir and Sayyed Faiyyaz Meer Azimuddin. Police said the alleged original occupant of the land, Heramb Pandharinath Gupchup, died in 1966, and his descendants pushed the transaction through using outdated land extracts. The FIR was filed by Amol Sharad Aher, acting farm manager at the Government Animal Breeding Centre, Tathawade. According to the complaint, descendants of the alleged former owner executed a sale agreement in 2023 and sought a mutation entry, which the tehsildar rejected after confirming that the land belonged to the animal husbandry department. Although the family approached the Bombay High Court, there was no conclusive ruling on ownership, and the department continued to appear as the lawful owner on the updated 7/12 extract. However, the accused allegedly relied on an earlier 2023 extract-which lacked updated notings-while registering the sale deed on January 9 this year at the Haveli-17 Sub-Registrar Office in Dapodi. After the deed surfaced during inspection, the department alerted the Pune divisional commissioner and requested that the transaction be annulled. "The department had no information that this 6.32 hectares of government land was sold. We discovered the deed only during an inspection," Dr Aher said, adding that a request has been sent to the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) to cancel the sale. Sachin Hire, assistant commissioner of police, confirmed that offences involving cheating and forgery have been registered. "The land is government property, and the original occupant of the land, Gupchup, died decades ago. We have booked his descendants who executed the sale, the sub-registrar, the buyers, and all others linked to the deal, which comprises 26 accused in total," he said. Mahadev Koli, senior police inspector, Dapodi police station, is leading the probe, and police will begin scrutinising records at the Haveli-17 Sub-Registrar Office once government offices reopen on Monday. Vijay Kumbhar, RTI activist, "Finally, an FIR has been filed against those attempting to grab government land in Tathawade. The modus operandi involved using outdated 7/12 extracts, bypassing mandatory e-mutation, and allegedly relying on forged document number 685/2025. The case highlights how systemic loopholes were exploited to facilitate an illegal land transaction."...