The Mumbai police had sealed the house over an ownership dispute before a court order recently restored possession to Grant. While Grant was in jail, another claimant to the property had moved in.

Grant and his Indian partner, V Sangliraj, had bought in 1995 the property at 301, Colabawala Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, where they started their first Anchorage Shelter House in the city before opening a second in Cuffe Parade. Grant used to stay there.

It was after Grant was arrested in 2006 for alleged child abuse that the encroacher, Vivekananda Uphaday, moved in. The property was locked while Grant was at the Nashik Central Prison, but Uphaday entered and started living there after forging the ownership papers.

Last April, Gulbanno Ahmedali Porbunderwala, the man from whom Grant had bought the property, lodged a complaint at the Colaba police station accusing Uphaday of cheating and criminal trespass.

The police arrested Uphaday and found out that he had forged Grant’s signature on the registration documents and transferred the property, as well as electricity bill and gas connections, to his name. Uphaday was arrested but the property remained sealed even after Grant was released from jail.

Grant moved an application claiming the property. His lawyer Shekhar Bhandary said, “We submitted the original lease documents. The 37th Metropolitan Court was convinced and directed the police to vacate the seal.”