MHADA agent held for cheating public

On November 10, MHADA official Atul Hurle’s statement was recorded. Hurle told police that on October 4, 1998, while attending a conference organsised by the Akhil Mumbai Bhadekaru Parishad, he met Sharayu Rege and others, who toldhim the accused had taken huge amounts of money from them. Rege told Hurle the accused had got in touch with her early this year and she had paid him a sum of Rs 8 lakh after the accused promised her two shops and two rooms in the above building. Therafter an agreement was entered, the allotment orders as well as keys of the flats and shops were handed over to her son Prasad who had visited the site earlier along with Shirke who posed as an engineer cum agent. However the accused did not give physical possession of the properties to Rege as a result of which she got suspicious and approached the MHADA authorities along with the documents provided by Shirke which were found to be bogus. Rege then learnt that Shirke along with his associates had also similarly cheated four other persons who were known to her by promising them flats and shops in the same building. Shirke was produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate C L Thool today and remanded to police custody upto December 5, 1998.

OnNovember 12, a complaint was registered with the Crime Branch and the police after making inquires learnt that the accused has two wives, one of whom is a dancer in a beer bar. Police further said that the accused was arrested in a similar case by the Oshiwara Police in 1996 and is wanted in other police stations as well. Aa search is also on for his associates, they said.