Mumbai: EOW books five realtors for duping Bandra builder of Rs 52 crore over SRA project in Vile Parle

According to the FIR, in 2013, the slum dwellers roped in Vijayraj Realtors and their partners; Rajan Shirodkar, Ashutosh Abhyankar, Vijay Yeolekar and two others for developing their slum’s land under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). Bharwani’s firm gave consent to the project named as Matoshree Surajben SRA Cooperative Housing Society (planned).

The accused realtors and their partners had allegedly promised 23 flats (measuring 13,445 square foot) to Bharwani in the project constructed on the said land, but till March 2021, they failed to complete the project and also failed to fulfill their promises. “The slum dwellers have no place to live. The accused developers have also stopped giving them rent,” alleged Bharwani.

The accused realtors allegedly sold the units from the sellable components, but diverted the money to some other company and projects for wrongful gain and did not complete the project, states the FIR.

They also breached the conditions imposed by SRA and made illegal sale of units from the sixth and seventh floors of Vijay Residency building on the Vile Parle plot. The accused also availed a loan from the bank on the saleable area of the project but defaulted in paying back to the bank, the FIR added.

Bharwani said in the FIR that the accused also allegedly took a loan of Rs 2.5 crore from him but failed to repay the money.

According to the FIR, the four accused realtors failed to fulfill their promises and neither delivered the promised flats, nor did they pay back the builder. The accused realtors allegedly violated terms and conditions of the agreement with the slum dwellers and failed to complete the project and allegedly made wrongful gain, Bharwani alleged in the FIR.

Bhawani, who suffered a loss of Rs 52.54 crore, approached the Mumbai police EOW last year, and after 20-months, the EOW has now registered a complaint.
Police have booked the four realtors under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant or by a banker, merchant, or agent ) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. The case was first registered at the Vile Parle police station and later EOW took over the probe.

Accused Vijay Shirodkar died on November 12this year. Abhyankar and Yeolekar did not respond to phone calls and messages.