Housing fraud: Fraudsters use document ‘signed’ by Cabinet Minister Dhananjay Munde to dupe govt servant of Rs 25 lakhs

The accused provided a fake letter of recommendation purportedly from Munde, claiming that they could secure a Rs 75 lakh house for Rs 45 lakh under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) scheme.

According to the complaint, the woman, a resident of central Mumbai, was looking to buy a house in the Dadar area.  She inquired about affordable housing options through her father’s friend, Kamlakar Bhujbal, who referred her to Govind Gangan, claiming that Gangan was knowledgeable about affordable flats in the area.

In January 2021, Bhujbal introduced the woman to Gangan near a 23-storey building in the Saat Rasta area near Mahalaxmi railway station.

Gangan, who identified himself as an NCP party worker, claimed that the building was completed except for some minor electrical work.
He offered her a flat in the building, stating that while the flats were priced at Rs 75 lakh, he could obtain one for Rs 45 lakh due to his political connections.

An officer said, “In order to convince her, the accused also got a fake letter of recommendation made in the name of Munde using which they were going to get the flat at a discounted rate by claiming to be under the EWS. He, however, refused to give her a copy of the document.”

Over the next three years, the woman paid a total of Rs 25 lakh in several installments.  However, she never received possession of the flat.

When she approached the scammers for updates, they suggested that additional payments could secure two flats instead. This raised her suspicions, prompting her to investigate the building further. She discovered that the building had been under litigation for the past 12 years, halting its construction.