Mumbai: Four booked for cheating two goldsmiths of Rs 80 lakh by promising them SRA flats

“The 55-year-old told him that he knew someone at MMRDA who could help secure flats at a cheaper rate. In mid-2023, as Bhuvaneshwar expressed interest, the elderly man took him to Sawant and introduced them,” an officer from LT Marg police station said.

The police said that Sawant, posing as a government employee, claimed to know senior officials at MMRDA and assured Bhuvaneshwar that he could help secure a flat for Rs 36 lakh. Eager to buy a new flat, Bhuvaneshwar agreed and made an initial payment of Rs 12.42 lakh in August 2023.

To further gain his trust, Sawant forged fake allotment letters and other documents from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority and the District Collector’s office, which he sent to Bhuvaneshwar. Sawant later introduced him to three other individuals, identified only as Kadam, Tawde and Pawar.

“I was told that Kadam would hand me the keys to the allotted flat, while Pawar and Tawde, who were said to work with senior MMRDA officials, would assist with the documentation,” Bhuvaneshwar said in his statement to police.

Between July 2023 and July 2024, Bhuvaneshwar paid Rs 40 lakh in total. However, as the accused failed to hand over the keys to the flat, Bhuvaneshwar repeatedly followed up. Eventually, when Sawant became unreachable by phone, he visited the address provided but learned that Sawant had not lived there for over two years. Bhuvaneshwar then visited Sawant’s parent’s home, where he was told they had no knowledge of his whereabouts.

“Months later, when Bhuvaneshwar discovered that another goldsmith had been duped of Rs 40 lakh in a similar manner, Samantha and him searched for Sawant for a few days before reporting the incident to the police,” said an officer.

After a preliminary inquiry, the LT Marg police registered a case of cheating and forgery against the four accused. Teams have been assigned to locate the suspects, said police.