Maharashtra crime: Real estate agent on run in loan fraud case arrested in Palghar

Representational Pic/File

The Palghar Police in Maharashtra arrested a real estate agent, who is one of the four accused on the run in an alleged housing loan fraud case registered in Palghar district of Maharashtra in 2021, police said on Wednesday, reported the PTI.

According to the news agency, two offences were registered at Arnala police station in Virar against four persons for allegedly forging documents and obtaining a housing loan of more than Rs 56 lakh from a financial institution. An investigation was launched by the Economic Offences Wing of the police.

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An official of the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police's central crime unit said they tracked the real estate agent, identified as Vinod Mishra, in Nalasopara and arrested him on Monday, as per the PTI.

Further investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, in an another incident, a 36-year-old man from Maharashtra's Thane district has been cheated of more than Rs 77 lakh by a person after being assured of good returns by getting into bitcoin trading, police said on Monday.

The Kalwa police on Sunday registered a case against the unidentified accused under Indian Penal Code section 420 (cheating), an official from Kalwa police station said.

A report in PTI said that accused lured the victim between April 2 and 8 this year, asking him to indulge in bitcoin trading for good returns, the official said quoting the victim's complaint. The victim invested a total sum of Rs 77,91,090 from time-to-time, but did not got any return and also lost the invested amount, he said. The man then filed a police complaint against the unidentified fraudster, the official added.

In May, an alleged conmen had devised a new way to entrap people by adding their cell phone numbers to business trading groups on WhatsApp and cheating them under the guise of earning huge profits through bitcoin trading.

A 53-year-old housewife from Kandivali became the victim, losing more than Rs 13 lakh to the fraudsters.

As per her statement given to the police, she was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘BTC Trading Group 111-5' without her consent. She planned to leave the group but before that, observed some of the activities in the group that had more than 250 people members talking about bitcoin trading. "Some of the people shared screenshots of their investments and the profits made from trading. Convinced that she too could make some money she expressed her desire to invest in bitcoin," said an officer.

(with PTI inputs)