MHADA STAFF ARRESTED IN HOUSING SCAM

MUMBAI: The Mumbai crime branch arrested an employee of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) on Friday for allegedly helping brokers for forging documents and cheating hundreds of people by promising them Mhada houses at cheap rates.

According to an officer, the arrested accused, Kailash Krishna Chawarkar, 49, used to collect rent from people living in transit camps built by Mhada in Sion and Dharavi area. Brokers used to contact him and he provided them duplicate keys of the flats and helped them prepare forged Mhada papers.

During inquiry, it appears that there are several other senior rank officers who are also involved in the scam. A crime branch official said that investigations are going on and they will soon arrest the others involved.

Acting on a tip-off, on August 14, the crime branch (Unit 9) had arrested Nasir Hussain, 44, a Mhada agent and seized forged procurement letters from him. During interrogation, Hussain revealed the names of Shah-ulHamid, 49, and Pratik Thorat, 22, who helped him procure the documents. Both were arrested from the Mhada office in Bandra (East) on August 15, said the officer. The accused had duped over 200 hundred people in the last three years. They took ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh from each of them and gave them forged Mhada allotment papers and deposit receipts, said the officer.