The Yerawada police have successfully dismantled a land-grabbing syndicate that targeted properties owned by deceased individuals. The operation began after a complaint was filed on February 18, 2026, by Abhinav Shrikishan Kotru, a resident of New Delhi, who alleged that two plots of land, totaling 1,078 sq metres near the Aga Khan Palace, were fraudulently transferred. The police arrested Wazir Azmuddin Shikalkar, who acted as a front for the fraudulent company SK Agrofood Tech Pvt Ltd, and later apprehended 74-year-old Balkrishna Laxman Dixit, who impersonated the deceased property owner. The alleged mastermind, Sunil Kadam, was arrested after a four-hour operation on April 15. The gang's modus operandi involved targeting properties with no immediate claimants, exploiting vulnerable individuals who resembled the deceased, and creating fake identity documents to facilitate fraudulent transactions. The investigation is ongoing, with police examining potential similar cases in Pune and surrounding areas.