Kuwait's royal family warns rethink on bilateral ties after dispute over Rs. 100 crore flat in Mumbai

Kuwait's royal family warns rethink on bilateral ties after dispute over Rs. 100 crore flat in Mumbai

Kuwait has warned that a dispute over a R
s. 70-crore flat in Mumbai could make it rethink bilateral ties. At stake is trade worth nearly Rs.s.1,08, 000 crore.s. 16,666 a month and then stole exotic Arabian carpets, expensive paintings, artifacts, antiques, jewelry and utensils made of gold and silver and wooden furniture worth Rs.s.30 crore.

The royal family of Kuwait, which owns the Al Sabah court building in south Mumbai's posh Marine Drive, has moved the Bombay High Court through the building's caretaker Faisal Essa, accusing a builder, Sanjay Punamiya of forgery, cheating, criminal trespass, theft and criminal intimidation.

Mr Essa, a former diplomat, alleges that Mr Punamiya, a first-floor tenant in the building, forged documents
to show that he had rented a 7,000 square-foot sea-facing flat on the fifth floor flat for just R

Mr Essa, 83, says his complaint on the alleged fraud was closed by Mumbai cops. And instead, alleges the Kuwaiti petition, Mr Essa, who has diplomatic immunity, was booked after Mr Punamiya complained that he had pointed a gun at him and "threatened to kill him if he didn't vacate the premises".

Sheikha Fadyah Saad Al Sabah, a daughter of the late Amir of Kuwait, has written to the Kuwaiti Ambassador in India Sami Mohammad Al Sulaiman, saying, "it is with deep anguish that we record our utmost discontent and displeasure over the situation that has been created due to apparent malpractices and unchecked corrupt indulgence exhibited by the Mumbai Police... We are indeed disturbed and amazed to record the catastrophic manner in which the state administration has handled the matter."

Source: http://www.ndtv.com...