Surat : Laxmi Diamond Founder Vasant Gajera and Associates Charged in Multi-Crore Land Grab Scheme

Surat : Vasant Gajera, the founder of Laxmi Diamond Private Limited—a prominent De Beers sightholder company—and his brother Bakul Gajera, along with three others are accused of orchestrating a sophisticated land grab valued at over ₹100 crore in the posh locale of Pal, Surat.

The incident has tarnished the image of Surat diamond industry at the global stage following the involvement of the reputed diamond company and De Beers Sightholder in the murky land grabbing case. A criminal complaint against Gajera brothers has rattled the diamond industry in Surat.

The Gajera brothers connived with sub-registrar office in Surat with three other persons to grab the high-value land in Pal by forging documents. The Gajera brothers ensured that the victims are traumatised by the law enforcing agencies. The victim, an 82-year-old woman, Laxmiben Patel, moved from pillar to post for justice, but she did not received support from the Surat police, Surat court and the Gujarat High Court. However, the victim knocked the doors of the Supreme Court for justice.

The case, filed at the Pal police station, following the Supreme Court order, shedding light on a tangled web of deceit involving fake documents and manipulated legal proceedings.

Surat, once known for its serene landscapes and diamond trade, is now the backdrop for a high-profile criminal case involving Vasant Gajera, a luminary in the diamond industry, and his brother Bakul Gajera. The complaint, lodged at the Pal police station, accuses them and three others of fraudulently acquiring 3,642 square meters of prime land in Surat’s affluent Pal area, leveraging forged documents to lay claim to property worth in excess of ₹100 crore.

The ancestral land of 82-year-old widow Lakshmi Patel,  whose property in question lies strategically at TP No. 10 and Final Plot No. 17 of new condition at Survey No. 164 Block No. 158 of Village Pal. Laxmiben, along with eight other family members, held equal rights to this land, a detail the accused allegedly exploited.

In 2012, the Hadakya family, comprising Hiralal Narsibhai Hadakya and his son Aditya Hadakya, expressed interest in purchasing the land. Following initial payments and promises of future installments post the land’s conversion to non-agricultural status, a sinister plot unfolded. The Gajeras, in collusion with the Hadakyas, are said to have manipulated the sale agreement and fabricated a power of attorney with forged signatures.

The revelation of these forged documents, supposedly facilitated by the complicity of the Sub-Registrar Office Surat-8 at Rander on June 19, 2016, marks a shocking betrayal. Despite Laxmiben’s efforts to seek justice through various legal channels, including police complaints and petitions to higher courts, her pleas remained largely ignored until the Supreme Court’s intervention.

This high-profile case has cast a shadow over the reputation of Laxmi Diamond Private Limited and its founders, raising questions about the ethics and legality of their business dealings. As the investigation unfolds, the Surat police are committed to diligently pursuing the truth, ensuring that justice is served for Laxmiben and her family.