In a shocking revelation from Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur area, five individuals illegally took over valuable Waqf Board land worth crores, built shops, and pocketed the rent for over 20 years—all while falsely posing as Waqf trustees. Despite formal complaints, the Waqf Board failed to act, even though it was fully aware of the scam.
The land, originally under the Waqf Board, was given to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for Urdu schools. After the 2001 earthquake rendered the buildings unsafe, they were demolished. Instead of rebuilding, Salimkhan Pathan illegally constructed ten shops and began collecting rent.
The scam didn’t stop there—around 150 nearby residential units on Waqf land were also rented out illegally. Alongside Salimkhan, Mohammad Yasir Shaikh, Mehmoodkhan Pathan, Faiz Mohammad Pir Mohammad, and Sahid Ahmed Shaikh ran the racket for years, never depositing any of the collected rent into the official Waqf accounts.
It took a rickshaw driver, Mohammad Rafiq Ansari, to expose a decades-long land scam in Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur area. After discovering that a group of men falsely claiming to be Waqf trustees were illegally collecting rent from shops built on Waqf land, he filed complaints—first with the Waqf Board, then with the police. Shockingly, the FIR confirmed that these individuals had no legal ties to the Board, yet operated freely for 20 years.
Rafiq revealed that he had personally reported the matter to Gujarat Waqf Board Chairman Mohsin Lokhandwala in Gandhinagar, but no action was taken. His repeated warnings about the illegal occupation and misuse of Waqf property went ignored. He now suspects that internal collusion allowed the scam to continue unchecked for so long.
Rafiq stressed that such a long-running fraud couldn’t have happened without insider support. He urged authorities not only to investigate the fake trustees but also to probe the Waqf Board’s inaction. For 20 years, revenue from these valuable properties was siphoned off, while the Waqf Board allegedly looked the other way. A full and transparent investigation is now critical to uncovering the truth and ensuring accountability.
The case has sparked serious concerns over governance and accountability. How could illegal shops and residences operate for decades on protected Waqf land? And why did the Waqf Board remain silent despite being fully aware of the wrongdoing?
Mohammad Rafiq Ansari, who exposed the scam, believes that recent amendments to the Waqf Act will help prevent such frauds in the future. “With these new provisions, people like Salimkhan won’t be able to grab Waqf land and get away with it,” he said, commending the BJP government for implementing the much-needed reforms.
“I appreciate the BJP government”: Complainant
The whistleblower, Mohammad Rafiq Ansari, voiced his support for the new Waqf Act, stating it will help prevent illegal land grabs by individuals like Salim Khan Pathan and ensure greater accountability. He revealed that despite personally filing a complaint with the Gujarat Waqf Board Chairman in Gandhinagar, no action was taken at the time.
Rafiq suspects that internal collusion within the Board allowed the scam to continue unchecked for years. Frustrated by the inaction, he eventually turned to the Ahmedabad police. He praised Officer Gosai and the police team for stepping in and taking action where the Waqf Board had failed.
