Bengaluru: City police probing illegal constructions on encroached govt land in Waseem Layout, Fakir Layout and Old Fakir Layout in Kogilu village, Yelahanka, are set to arrest a third accused in the case.Self-styled activists and Kogilu residents Vijay and Wasim Ulla Baig were arrested earlier this week for their alleged role in the encroachment and were remanded to seven days of police custody by a local court.
According to a senior police officer, the two men collected between Rs 40,000 and Rs 70,000 from several occupants, promising them small parcels of land. “To lend an air of legitimacy, the duo, with the help of Robin, who posed as a govt official, marked out plots measuring 20×15 or 15×15 feet on the ground and distributed the encroached land. This is how the illegal constructions came up,” the officer said, adding that most of the structures were in Wasim Layout.The probe has revealed the existence of three layouts—Fakir Layout, Fakir Layout-1 and Wasim Layout. Fakir Layout was the oldest, while Wasim Layout was the most recent. Vijay and Wasim allegedly acted as middlemen, shifting families to Fakir Layout-1 and Wasim Layout. “Most of the constructions in these two layouts, particularly in Wasim Layout, are illegal,” the officer added.A criminal complaint was filed by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) engineer Santosh Kumar Kaddi, who stated that 14 acres and 36 guntas of land in survey number 99 was transferred following orders issued by the Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner in 2014 and 2015 and was later earmarked for civic infrastructure projects, including a bio-methanation unit, sewage treatment plant and waste processing facilities.In 2023, Bengaluru Smart City/BSWLR Ltd floated tenders and issued work orders for the proposed projects. At this point, officials found that nearly 4 acres of the land were illegally encroached upon, with makeshift houses had been constructed without any authorisation. In his complaint, Kaddi identified Vijay, Wasim Ulla Baig, Robin and Muni Anjanappa as the main accused who took money from residents to construct houses on encroached govt land.
