Two booked for cheating senior citizen of Rs 70 lakh

According to police, the complainant, Deepak Tudvekar, 62, lives in Andheri (east) with his wife. Tudvekar is retired from a private firm, while his wife retired recently from Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) as a manager. The couple wanted to invest in a flat for their children and the complainant was introduced to Lambe through a common friend in October, 2023.

Lambe, who works as a real estate agent, claimed he had a good connection with an MHADA official.

Lambe allegedly told the complainant that there were six MHADA flats in a building at Andheri, and of those, one flat, which costed Rs 1.70 crore, could be allotted to him. The accused told the complainant he would take two per cent brokerage for his commission. The accused even made the complainant visit the premises, and they saw the flat and liked it, said a police officer.

Lambe then arranged a meeting with another suspect, Avinash Kumar, in early 2024, who confirmed that one flat was in the name of one Krishna, and it could be transferred to the name of the complainant. An MoU was signed regarding the flat, and the complainant paid Rs 70 lakh in three installments to the accused, who promised that further paperwork would start soon.

However, after eight to 10 months there was no progress in the paperwork for the flat, and the accused stopped answering the complainant’s call and messages, said a police officer.

The complainant somehow managed to contact the suspects and said he wanted his money back, but the accused didn’t return it nor gave him possession of the flat.

The complainant then realised the suspects had cheated him, so he approached MIDC police and registered a case of cheating under sections 316 and 318(4) of the BNS against the accused.