‘Builder Baba’ arrested for cheating partner of ₹11.5 cr
NEW DELHI: ‘Builder Baba’, the name that Sachin Dutta was popularly known as, goes by many names. The most famous among them was Mahamandaleshwar. Dutta was, however, stripped of the moniker after it was found that he owned a pub in Noida and his not so saintly connections came to the fore.
Sachin Dutta, alias Builder Baba, was arrested on Monday for not paying a partner of his Rs 11.5 crore, which was promised to the latter after he retired this year.
Dutta was arrested from Gomti Nagar Extension in Lucknow, after an informer revealed to Delhi Police the whereabouts of his location. Dutta had been declared a proclaimed offender by the Karkardooma court on May 10 last year.
Police is currently trying to determine Dutta’s involvement in other financial fraud, after which he will be produced in a local court. The case came to the fore on the basis of the complaint of Narendra Barmecha, who alleged that he was made a partner for a proposed project in Manakpur Village in Noida.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast), Ajit Kumar Singla: “Narendra had alleged Dutta induced him and his family, which includes his mother Tripta, father R K Dutta and son Sachin Tyagi, to become a partner in a proposed project in Uttar Pradesh. The com- plainant invested in Dutta’s firm and on 3 November 2014, he retired from the partnership and was offered a sum of Rs. 11.5 crore. But this amount was never paid to him”.
Police made several attempts to arrest him but he remained absconding after which Karkardooma Court declared him a proclaimed offender.
The North East District later formed an investigating team, comprising of SI Akhilesh Bajpai, SI Rajinder, ASI Naresh, HC Bhim Singh and Constable Dipankar, under the supervision of ACP/DIU/ North East District Ram Chander.
Bajpai had visited Lucknow on February 26 for the sake of the investigation. He received vital leads that Dutta was residing in an unknown location in the state. Bajpai contacted his informant who revealed to him that Dutta was residing in Gomti Nagar Extension. A team raided Dutta’s premises and apprehended him.
During interrogation, it was found that a case of fraud had been slapped against the ‘Builder Baba’ and seven others for allegedly mortgaging sold flats in an Indirapuram housing society to obtain bank loans.
“He also had business dealings with Ponty Chaddha. Chaddha’s relatives, Ramandeep and Kamaldeep, had also been found to be involved with Dutta in cheating case registered in Jalandhar, Punjab,” Singla added.