Advocate urges Telangana police to frame SOPs against property mafia activities

A Hyderabad-based advocate has urged Telangana Police to formulate SOPs for handling property disputes involving alleged organised mafias. Citing his own experience, he claimed police often classify such cases as civil matters, leaving property owners vulnerable to harassment and unlawful occupation.

Hyderabad: A city-based advocate demanded the Telangana police frame Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to deal with civil issues where organised mafia is getting involved and occupying properties, including flats and independent houses.

Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, M Sridhar Dayal said in a majority of instances involving properties such as flats, independent houses and plots, a land mafia in an organised manner is taking the property on rent and not vacating it.

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“The police are not helping the property owners in such cases, citing it as a civil issue. Nevertheless, the police are aware the mafia is involved, and they vacate only after collecting huge money from the property owners,” he said.

Sridhar Dayal said he is also facing issues regarding his flat at the Masab Tank, where some persons had rented his flat and alleged they later vacated it after taking money from him. Again, they returned to the flat the same evening, broke the lock of the door and tried to take possession with the help of rowdy elements. He alleged that the antisocial elements attacked the watchman and injured him.

“The police are citing it as a civil matter and refusing to register a case against those who trespassed into the flat. Our watchman was injured in the attack by the local rowdy elements,” said the advocate.

He demanded the police study such cases and frame SOPs to prevent harassment of innocent people who purchased property with their hard-earned money and protect them from the organised mafia.