Teachers duped of Rs 57 lakh in plot scam

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A couple working as Zilla Parishad school teachers lost Rs 57.70 lakh after buying a plot that was already under a legal dispute. Despite the ongoing court case, seven teachers sold the plot to them, misleading them into believing it was clear of any legal issues.

According to the complaint by teacher Aparna Dhatbale, she and her husband Atul Bagul purchased two plots (Nos. 12 and 13) measuring 3,330 sq. ft. in Mitmita’s Shri Sai Nagar, near Devgiri Valley, in 2017. The accused, teachers from Muktanand Primary School in Khultabad Sudhakar Patil, Yogesh Patil, Chhaya Wagh, Rekha Patil, Subhash Patil, Shashikant Daund, and Deepak Pachpute assured them there were no legal disputes over the land. The couple took a Rs 30 lakh loan from HDFC Bank and spent Rs 50,000 on fencing. However, in September 2024, they discovered that the land was already involved in a court case, with all seven sellers listed as defendants. Over eight years, they paid Rs 17.87 lakh in loan interest, along with Rs 2.50 lakh in stamp duty and other costs, amounting to a total loss of Rs 57.70 lakh. Based on Aparna Dhatbale’s complaint, Cantonment Police have registered a case against the accused teachers.