Popular Builders’ Owner in Ahmedabad Faces Arrest Again

Raman Patel, owner of Popular Builders, was arrested in a decades-old land forgery case. New allegations of land grab emerge involving 52 firms.

Raman Patel, the owner of Popular Builders in Ahmedabad, is once again behind bars. The Sanand police arrested him in connection with a three-decade-old land forgery case just as he was about to be released on bail. Patel and his brother, Dashrath Patel, were previously involved as CBI witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case in 2005.

The arrest stems from accusations of attempted murder and domestic violence made by Patel's daughter-in-law in August 2020. Subsequently, several FIRs were filed against the brothers for allegedly using forged documents to occupy land parcels.

The latest complaint, filed by farmer Kanu Patel, alleges that Raman Patel manipulated documents to grab ancestral land in 1994 and 1996. The land, categorised as 'restricted use' by the revenue department, was falsely claimed by 52 firms that Raman and his family members owned. The charges include breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.

As Raman Patel faces renewed legal troubles, there's speculation that other family members previously booked and released may also be implicated in the ongoing case.