A 62-year-old woman has filed a police complaint alleging a forgery and property grab attempt over a prime bungalow at Bandra’s elite Waterfield Road area, which was once owned by legendary playback singer Mohammed Rafi.
The complainant, Vijaylakshmi Jayantkumar, who has resided in the bungalow since 1971, stated that the property was purchased by her aunt, Leela Govind Menon, from Mohammed Rafi for Rs 3 lakh. Vijaylakshmi, along with her family, was living in the bungalow with Menon until her passing on February 26, 2022.
According to Vijaylakshmi, Menon had initially made a Will in 2018, leaving the bungalow to Vijaylakshmi and her sister, Lata Menon. However, in 2021, Menon executed a new Will, revoking the earlier one and naming Vijaylakshmi as the sole heir to the property. This Will is currently awaiting probate proceedings in the Bombay High Court.
The dispute began in August 2023, when a letter from the City Survey Office in Bandra arrived, addressed to the late Leela Menon. As Menon had already passed away, the letter was withheld from Vijaylakshmi. Upon inquiry, she was shocked to learn that a person named Lallan Upadhyay had filed an application to have his name added to the property card of the bungalow.
Vijaylakshmi immediately informed the City Survey Office that the family had no intention of selling the property. Further investigation led to the discovery of a conveyance deed allegedly dated back to 1981, which claimed the bungalow had been sold to Parvati Sarose and Ramdular Upadhyay for Rs 43,562.50. According to the document, the property papers were to remain in Ramdular’s possession, with the actual transfer to take place only after Menon’s death. The deed also stated that Parvati and Ramdular were Leela Menon’s caretakers.
Vijaylakshmi, who had lived with Menon since childhood, refuted the claim that Parvati and Ramdular were ever caretakers. “We have no knowledge of them. They were never part of our household,” she said in her complaint.
Suspecting foul play, Vijaylakshmi scrutinised the deed and discovered discrepancies and evidence of tampering. Pages had allegedly been added and altered, with documents such as death certificates suspiciously inserted into the file. A re-indexing process revealed the existence of two sets of conveyance and sale deeds, indicating manipulation.
A forensic examination by Indian Forensic Science confirmed that Leela Menon’s signature on the disputed deed was forged, and did not match her genuine signature on other records. The FIR further reads that she was more shocked during a hearing at the City Survey Office, where Vijaylakshmi realised that the property card had already been updated to include the names of Ramdular Upadhyay, Parvati Sarose, and a third individual named Dada Sarose.
Following this development, Vijaylakshmi filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Lallan Upadhyay and Dada Sarose with the Bandra Police station. The accused, Lallan Upadhyay and Dada Sarose, have been booked under sections related to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.
