Garhwal Post Bureau
Roorkee, 28 Aug: A municipal councillor of the BJP, named Manish Bowler, has been arrested by a Special Task Force (STF) team on charges of criminal conspiracy, land fraud, and intimidation. The councillor has been accused of colluding with a notorious criminal, Praveen Valmiki, and of threatening a woman and her family, forging property documents, and illegally attempting to sell her land. The STF investigation has further revealed that the gang had been systematically preparing and selling forged documents for several plots in and around Roorkee.
The STF registered a case against Bowler at Ganganahar Kotwali and subsequently took him to Dehradun for further interrogation.
Following the arrest, the BJP has expelled Bowler from the party, citing his involvement in anti-party activities. The STF team from Dehradun reached Roorkee late last evening and detained Bowler for questioning. News of his arrest also led to a large gathering of Valmiki community members outside Ganganahar Kotwali, who remained there till late night. The police officials however managed to pacify the crowd and send them back.
STF Inspector Nand Kishore Bhatt has submitted a written complaint to the Ganganahar Kotwali police, stating that he had received a letter alleging criminal activities involving Praveen Valmiki’s nephew Manish Bowler and his associates Rajkumar and Ankit, all residents of Nai Valmiki Basti in Ramnagar, Roorkee. The gang is alleged to have operated as an organised criminal syndicate across Roorkee and Haridwar, using Praveen Valmiki’s name to threaten individuals with death and forcibly occupy and trade in their land.
The investigation also revealed that that Rekha, wife of the late Shyam Bihari of Sunhera village, was also a victim of the gang. Her husband had passed away in 2014, leaving behind substantial property. In 2018, her brother-in-law Krishna Gopal was murdered after opposing the gang’s activities, allegedly by shooters hired by Praveen Valmiki. In 2019, Rekha’s brother Subhash, who was pursuing the case, was also attacked by Bowler and his associates but survived. The gang allegedly demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakhs from Rekha and threatened to kill her and her children if she failed to comply. A case was then registered against Bowler and others in this regard.
Due to persistent threats, Rekha fled her home and began living in an undisclosed location. Taking advantage of her absence, Praveen Valmiki, Manish Bowler, and their associates orchestrated a fraudulent sale of her land. They used a woman to impersonate Rekha and forged a power of attorney in favour of Pankaj Kumar Ashtwal, a close aide of Valmiki and Bowler. Using this forged document, two plots were sold. Gurmeet Kaur and Najma, wife of Nadeem, later lodged a police complaint stating that they had approached Bowler and Rajkumar to purchase a plot for Rs 80 lakhs. They had paid Rs 12 lakhs in cash during the registry process but halted the remaining payment via cheque after suspecting foul play. Another plot measuring approximately 6,166 square feet in Shyam Nagar Colony was registered for Rs 58 lakhs to Ishtiyaq, son of Zafar, and Gulfam, son of Faiyaz, both residents of Madhopur village.
In a similar case, the same woman who impersonated Rekha was used again, this time as Meenakshi Jaisiya, to sell another plot to Vicky, son of Mahesh, and Sandeep, son of Asaram. Investigation into this registry revealed that the mobile number used in Meenakshi’s name was linked to Manish Bowler. The STF further found that over the past two to three months, Valmiki and Bowler had been continuously threatening Rekha and her children with death.
Based on the evidence, Praveen Valmiki, Manish Bowler, Pankaj Ashtwal, Rajkumar, Ankit, Monika, and others were found to have created and used a fake power of attorney for Rekha, which was handed over to Ashtwal. A case has been registered against all the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Ganganahar Kotwali. Station House Officer RK Saklani confirmed that the STF is overseeing the investigation and has taken Bowler to Dehradun for further questioning.
In response to the incident, BJP District President Madhu Singh issued a letter expelling Bowler from the party’s primary membership. Bowler had been elected as councillor from Ward No. 38 of Roorkee Municipal Corporation on a BJP ticket. The letter cited his involvement in activities detrimental to the party’s interests. The arrest however triggered protests from members of the Valmiki community, who gathered again the next morning outside the Roorkee Municipal Corporation office. Sanitation workers halted operations for nearly ninety minutes, disrupting cleaning services and traffic. Protesters claimed that action against an elected representative was unjust. Police officials intervened and managed to disperse the crowd, which is now planning to meet SP Rural Shekhar Chandra Suyal to raise their concerns.
