A man in Gurugram has been arrested for illegally building a slum on government land and extorting money from vulnerable residents, highlighting issues of land encroachment and exploitation.
Gurugram Police on Monday arrested a person for illegally setting up a slum with at least 150 huts on government land in Sector 53 and housing it with dwellers to collect money from them, officials said.
An official of Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) filed a complaint with the police on Monday, stating that a slum has been built on government land behind Judge Enclave in Sector 53, and the shanty residents there are paying a man named Naresh Yadav (35) for housing and opening shops in the slums.
The complainant added that when the slum dwellers learned that the land was government-owned, they raised an objection with Yadav, who, in turn, threatened them and continued to extort money from them.
Based on the HSVP official's complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections at Sector 53 Police Station, and a Crime Branch team arrested Yadav, a resident of Wazirabad village.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had built approximately 150-200 huts on HSVP land, and he was illegally collecting Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 from each hut, said the Gurugram police spokesperson.