MUMBAI: A sessions court has refused bail to a 49-year-old Jogeshwari resident accused of helping forge documents to fraudulently sell a 12,600-square metre plot in Dahisar belonging to a deceased builder and pocketing profits.Sessions court refuses bail to woman accused in land fraud caseAdditional sessions judge SB Dige rejected the bail plea of Sameera Khan, observing that the allegations against her were serious.Khan was arrested by the Property Cell of the Mumbai crime branch in connection with a case registered by the Kasturba Marg police on a complaint filed by the Sub-Registrar of Assurances, Borivali. The complaint was lodged after the Bombay high court, while hearing a civil dispute over the land, found that one of the documents submitted before it was forged.According to the prosecution, an irrevocable general power of attorney (IGPA), purportedly executed by Kamruddin M Shaikh, a partner in Shaikh Construction, in favour of his ex-wife Sultana Shaikh, was falsely shown as registered with the Borivali registrar’s office using a fake registration number.Investigators alleged that Sultana, in connivance with Khan and co-accused Amit Tayade, prepared the fabricated IGPA and used it to sell the 12,674-square metre land parcel to another builder.Seeking bail, Khan claimed she had only acted as an attesting witness to the document and had a minimal role in the alleged offence. Her counsel also argued that the alleged forgery dated back to 2010, while the FIR was registered 16 years later, in 2026.Opposing the plea, special prosecutor Sachin Patil told the court that Khan’s role went beyond merely witnessing the document. He alleged that her father had impersonated KN Shaikh, owner of Shaikh Construction, before the registrar’s office.The prosecution further claimed that Khan and Tayade had signed the forged document using fake identities supported by bogus PAN and other identification documents. Tayade was allegedly paid ₹4.5 lakh for his role in the transaction.Patil argued that custodial interrogation of the accused was necessary and that releasing Khan on bail could hamper the investigation and lead to tampering of evidence or influencing witnesses.Accepting the prosecution’s submissions, the court rejected Khan’s bail application.