Couple dupes 8 of ₹5.4cr with promise of Parel apartments

MUMBAI: An assistant principal of a reputed South Mumbai college and seven others lodged a police complaint against a couple, who posed as business partners of a leading real estate developer, and allegedly cheated eight homebuyers of ₹5.44 crore under the pretext of selling them flats being built in Parel by the developers.

According to the police, the couple, directors of a Bandrabased real estate investment firm, misused the logo ofruparel Realty.

However, Ruparel Realty head, Amit Ruparel, said he and his company had never been associated with the accused.

“In fact, when I got to know about his activities in which he was duping people using my company’s name, I lodged complaints at Chembur and Bhoiwada stations ,” he said.

The 46-year-old principal, a resident of Dhobi Talao, recently registered a complaint with the RAK Marg police, which later got transferred to the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police.

The complainant, through some agents in March 2016, came in contact with the accused, Siddharth Dhanu and his wife, Ronita Dhanu, who were then having their office in Santacruz.

According to the complainant, Dhanu told him about a new project, Ruparel Ariana, on Bai Jerbai Road, Parel, following which he showed the site, a sample flat and provided brochures.

Dhanu told the complainant that he was business partners with Ruparel , however, when the complainant asked him to show documents of their business partnership, Dhanu would somehow evade the topic.

Throughout 2016, the complainant paid several instalments, amounting to ₹1.18crore, for the flat, but never got it.

In January 2017, Dhanu shifted their office to Bandra and when the complainant told he wanted his money back, Dhanu gave him cheques, which later bounced owing to insufficient funds.

The complainant later learnt that the accused had similarly taken ₹4.25 crore from seven others.

An FIR was registered against Dhanu, wife Ronita, father Vasant and cousin Gautam . Dhanu could not be reached for comment as his numbers were found to be out of service.

THE VICTIMS INCLUDE AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF A REPUTED SOUTH MUMBAI COLLEGE