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Over 1,000 plots freed from land mafia in 3 months

Over 1,000 plots freed from land mafia in 3 months

Time of India22-06-2025
Prayagraj: Adopting a zero-tolerance policy against mafia and criminals, joint teams of police, administration, and the Prayagraj Development Authority have bulldozed around 1,000 beegha of land being grabbed by land mafia in the past three months.
After razing illegal plots, the joint teams of police, administration and PDA not only intensified its vigilance but also lodged over 70 FIRs against mafia and land grabbers in the same period.
After the killing of mafia-turned-politician
Atiq Ahmed
and demolition of his economic empire, the alleged henchmen, land grabbers, and sympathisers of the slain mafia made futile attempts to grab the freed lands. However, the PDA foiled their attempts.
Vice-chairman PDA Amit Pal Sharma said, "The PDA authorities have taken stern action against such land mafia and demolished more than 1,000 plots in the past three months." He, however, added, "We have been intensifying vigilance on freed land and actions are continuing."
The state govt took stern action against the land mafia, following which organised crime came to a halt and mafia empire was eradicated. The police administration also broke the financial backbone of Atiq Ahmed and the members of his interstate gang through 'Operation Giraffe and Operation Octopus.'
The joint teams of district administration, PDA, and police attached and bulldozed Atiq Ahmed's properties worth Rs 1,600 crore, while properties worth Rs 500 crore of Atiq's henchmen were also confiscated.
Few months back, slain Atiq Ahmed's close associates and henchmen started raising their heads again. However, the administration initiated corrective measures and lodged the FIRs with different police stations to foiled their attempt of plotting on freed lands.
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