A rumour that land would be given for free to the residents of recently-removed shanties brought nearly 500 people from various suburbs to an empty plot in Tagore Nagar, Vikhroli on December 12. Expecting land parcels as compensation, people pitched bamboo sticks or tied ropes to mark their territory, some even paid thousands to people posing as politicians taking a 'registration fee'. The local police and civic authorities have been having sleepless nights for a fortnight, trying to prevent encroachment.

Around 15 days ago, MHADA had removed 15 to 20 shanties from Khaitan compound near the 20-acre barren land in Tagore Nagar, Vikhroli. A message about land being given as compensation at the plot near Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) then went viral on WhatsApp. The next day, evicted people started marking sections of the land as their home in the wetland.