Two of gang cheat 29 flat-buyers of ₹4 crore, arrested

The Sakinaka police recently arrested two conmen and busted a gang who allegedly duped 29 people of Rs4.21 crore, promising flats built by Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

According Sakinaka police, the gang of at least 17 cheats trapped their victims by assuring to get flats at throw-away prices. They also boasted about their contacts with MLAS and in Mantralaya to fulfill victim’s home dreams, said the police.

The police were investigating if any politician was part of the gang. Most of the victims are known to each other. While one of the arrested men is a real estate agent, the other is an autorickshaw driver.

The case came to light when a senior citizen complained to the police. “The complainant had approached the two men to get a MHADA house under the MLA quota for a differently-abled relative. When his relative did not get possession of the promised flat, he filed a police case. They had also asked him to get his relatives and friends to invest.” said a source. Later, all victims complained to the police.

“The gang has been collecting money in installments from their victims since 2012, saying they will get houses once construction is completed. However, as years passed by, the victims realized that they had been conned,” said the source.

A case was registered under cheating and forgery sections of the IPC earlier this year. Under the supervision of Vinayak Deshmukh, DCP of zone X, and senior inspector Avinash Dhar madhikari, API Ganesh Andhe arrested the two men earlier this month. They are in police cus tody. “They lured these people by lying to them that they will ge flats worth more than Rs1 crore in just Rs10 lakh to Rs20 lakh They told their victims since MLAS have quota for low-cost houses they will use their con tacts to get flats. The gang even gave them forged receipts. We are investigating if any govern ment servant is also involved in this racket,” said the source.