Bhopal, Aug 27 (IANS) The crackdown on the infamous Machhli family, allegedly involved in sex rackets, drug trafficking, and money laundering, intensified on Wednesday as the Bhopal district administration began reclaiming government land encroached by the syndicate.
Officials started demarcating nearly 100 acres of land belonging to the Animal Husbandry Department at Kofta bypass, which the family had allegedly usurped under the guise of developing a “courtyard premium colony.”
A team of officials from the revenue department started the process of demarcation of land in the presence of a heavy security deployment. The district administration has also decided to videograph the entire process which is being carried out by at least six officials, to avoid any further untoward incidents.
Before the operation started, the surrounding area was declared a prohibited zone.
The development came a week after the Bhopal district administration razed a three-storey mansion of the notorious Machhli family built illegally on government land in the Anandpur Kokta area on Aug 21.
The building, sprawling across 15,000 square feet, has 30 rooms and is estimated to have a market value of Rs 25-Rs 30 crore.
Notably, the sequence of actions is being followed after a sweeping operation on July 30, when authorities bulldozed over Rs 100 crore worth of illegal properties linked to the Machhli family, including farmhouses, warehouses, factories, madrasas, and residential buildings.
The Machhli family, long accused of drug trafficking, sexual exploitation, and violent intimidation, had established a stronghold in Ward No 62 of Bhopal. Their influence began to unravel after a major breakthrough by the Bhopal Crime Branch, which uncovered a disturbing nexus involving narcotics, illegal weapons, video blackmailing, and physical abuse, according to government officials.
The investigation led to the arrest of Shahwar Machhli and his nephew, Yasin, in connection with a rape and blackmail case targeting college girls. Shariq Ahmed, their uncle, was also taken into custody shortly thereafter.
The crackdown is part of a broader campaign led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who has vowed to eradicate criminal syndicates operating under the guise of drug mafias and so-called “love jihadis.”
–IANS
pd/skp