Cheap flat offer: two arrested for duping family of Rs 38 lakh

On March 2,Jayashree Nanaware (42),a Chikalwadi resident,who works as a housemaid had lodged a complaint with the Tardeo police alleging that a group posing as MHADA representatives had taken Rs 35.8 lakh collectively from her and six other family members after promising MHADA flats.

Senior Police Inspector Vilas Vishnu Joshi from the Tardeo police station said that the ‘transaction’ was reportedly done in 2007 with the agents assuring the complainants that they would get possession of the flats within a fortnight. The fortnight had extended to weeks,then months and finally a year but complainants did not get either the promised flats or their deposits. 

“Nalaware’s brother Manik Bhotre had first interacted with a woman who identified herself as Anuradha Jadhav and claimed to be a social worker. She informed him on how he could avail MHADA flats. Following this,Bhotre already ‘invested’ in a flat and told Nalawade and his other family members about it. The accused,Nakashe and Joshi,met the seven interested family members and even showed them the flats available for sale. All of them paid up around Rs 8 lakh for around 225 sq ft rooms,” said Assistant Police Inspector and investigating officer A K Pathare from the Tardeo police station.

The accused not just pretended to be MHADA agents,they also procured rental accommodation for the buyers till the possession of the flats.

“All the buyers are from lower middle class backgrounds and got lured by the offer of a flat. They also agreed to sell their present flats to pay up for the new accommodation. They sold their house,their ornaments,and even discontinued their LIC policy to avail more money for the flats,” said Pathare.

The accused claimed that they had drawn up agreements but refused to hand it over to the complainants. They had also issued some cheques to the complainants which had bounced. “All the buyers were given rental accommodations with the assurance that they would have to stay there till the new flats were handed over to them. The initial waiting period was said to be a mere fortnight which extended to years. The buyers who had sold everything they had were rendered homeless and the accused began avoiding them,” said Pathare.

Inspector Joshi said that while initially all the seven complainants who lived in Agripada,Byculla and other places had registered complaints with their local police stations,a consolidated complaint reached Tardeo only on March 2. “It was in one of the buyer’s house that the deals for all the seven flats were struck and hence we are investigating the complaint. The kingpin and two others who also acted as agents are absconding. The woman used to stay in Mazgaon and had a plastic business. But her house was found locked and we are yet to trace her,” said Joshi.