Pune: A man has been booked for fraudulently obtaining his sister’s signatures on legal documents under the pretext of carrying out repairs on their ancestral property in Narayan Peth, Pune.

He allegedly misled her into signing a relinquishment deed (hakksodpatra), effectively surrendering her rights to the inherited property without compensation. The fraud remained undiscovered for 12 years until the victim sought legal counsel.

Following a court directive, Loni Kalbhor Police registered a case against the accused, Prakash Balkrishna Shivre, a resident of Kasba, based on a complaint filed by his sister, Sulochana Ramchandra Pawar.

Fraud Concealed for 12 Years

According to the complaint, the brother-sister duo jointly owned an ancestral property in Narayan Peth. In 2011, the accused informed his sister that the property required renovation and requested her signature and consent for certain legal formalities.

Believing it to be a routine procedure, she signed the documents at the Sub-Registrar’s Office, Haveli No. 6, without verifying the contents. Unbeknownst to her, she had signed away her rights to the property through a legally binding relinquishment deed.

For over a decade, the accused kept the truth hidden, preventing his sister from realizing the loss of her inheritance. The fraud came to light only when she consulted legal experts, who discovered the unlawful transfer of property rights. Further investigations revealed that the accused had already sold parts of the inherited land.

Upon filing a complaint in court, First-Class Magistrate S.G. Barde directed Loni Kalbhor Police to investigate the matter and register an offense. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged against the accused brother, and legal proceedings are now underway. Advocate Jaykumar Kadam represented the complainant in court, emphasizing the breach of trust and fraudulent misrepresentation.