The RCF police on Saturday arrested two persons, director of "Apan Ghar" scheme and a bank manager, for allegedly duping more than 40 persons under the pretext of selling them houses in Panvel at a cheaper value. The police have learnt that the duo have conned more than 200 people using similar modus operandi as the two claimed they are facilitating houses under the "Apna Ghar" scheme. According to the police, the director of Apna Ghar scheme has been identified as RR Pandiyan while his accomplice, Suresh Rathod, worked as a manager at The Blue People Co-op Credit Society bank. The police said the complainant, Shankar Dahihande, 61, came across an advertisement of the Apna Ghar scheme on January 14, 2013. In the advertisement, the two accused had said they were providing affordable houses for lower class people of the society, police said. Dahihande along with his wife went to their office in Chembur, where they met a woman, Sarika. She explained to them about the scheme and introduced them to Pandiyan and Rathod, police said. "They then took the victim to their site at Kolwadi area in Panvel, where Dahihande was told that he would be given a 350 sq feet apartment. As he liked the project, they proceeded towards the agreement when Pandiyan kept a clause that he will have to compulsorily take a loan from The Blue People Co-op Credit Society bank," said an officer. The complainant handed over necessary documents and started an account there, police said. Dahihande was then told that every month, he needs to pay them an instalment of Rs 3,573. An investigator said, "The monthly installments that were deducted from the victims' account went directly into Pandiyan's bank account in another private bank, which was opened under The Blue People Co-op Credit Society bank name." But after paying 60 installments, when the complainant went to check the status of the property in September 2018 as they were promised possession in 2018, the complainant was told to pay stamp duty, registration and processing fees. Subsequently, he paid Rs 4.50 lakh, police said. "And even after paying the money, as there was no progress, the complainant went to meet the manager at their bank, asking for possession when he came across several other people who had paid them money in return for a flat," said an officer. The complainant and other victims have told police that whenever they went to ask for a flat, the two accused would sometimes give them vague responses while many times, they even threatened them, police said. Later, when the complainant met a few other victims who were also duped under similar pretenses, they learnt that the plot at Kolwadi in Panvel did not belong to Pandiyan, police said. "He had booked 15 flats there and had told the builder that he was going to donate the flat to poor people due to which Pandiyan had requested them to stick their banner at the site, thought which he used to lure victims," said an investigator. The complainants along with 39 others who were duped of money totalling upto Rs 11.11 cr then approached RCF police station and submitted a complaint application in the first week of January. A case was registered early last week after which Pandiyan was arrested from a hotel in Govandi and Rathod was caught from P L Lokhande Marg in Chembur. The police have learnt that there are 20 cases registered against Pandiyan of which seven are related to cheating. "The two accused were produced in holiday court on Saturday and remanded to our custody for two days," said an officer.
