In Mexico City, an increase in cases of property dispossession has been detected, with the municipalities of Benito Juárez and Cuauhtémoc being critical points for criminals. These criminals have adopted the strategy of simulating sales contracts and presenting false deeds to seize properties, especially from elderly individuals.
Residents of the Del Valle neighborhood in Benito Juárez have reported on social media cases where vacant properties of elderly individuals have been invaded by people claiming to have fake rental contracts and refusing to vacate. In light of the violence and threats from these invaders, the owners, mostly elderly individuals, have been forced to turn to the judiciary to recover their homes.
Morena deputy Pablo Trejo has warned that the Attorney General's Office of Mexico City has identified five modus operandi of dispossession, with elderly individuals being the primary victims due to their vulnerability. There have been reported cases of real estate sales with apocryphal contracts, payment in kind, and forgery of public documents.
The legislator has urged local authorities to strengthen the fight against dispossession and consider implementing a special program for the regularization of property for individuals over 60 years old. An increase in these crimes has been observed in the city, with a 217.79% growth in the investigation files initiated for dispossession in the last five years.
In the Cuauhtémoc municipality, there have also been reported attempts at dispossession, where criminals have gone so far as to provoke fires in the properties. Deputy Silvia Sánchez Barrios has denounced the operation of criminal groups that use violence as a means to illegally seize properties and then attempt to negotiate with the owners to return the property in exchange for money.
On his part, PAN deputy Diego Garrido has raised concerns about a Morena proposal that seeks to prohibit evictions, which, according to him, would legalize dispossession and leave property owners helpless. This initiative aims to protect vulnerable groups in emergency situations, such as pandemics or natural disasters, but has generated controversy for being seen as a violation of property owners' rights.
