Trio of agents in Navi Mumbai forged ownership documents to dupe him. Cops say they are part of larger gang which even procures bank loans with fake documents
Trio of agents in Navi Mumbai forged ownership documents to dupe him. Cops say they are part of larger gang which even procures bank loans with fake documents
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Sunil Kumar, a US-based NRI, thought he was living the dream with a trio of real estate agents in Navi Mumbai until he realised that the documents and even the keys handed over to him for a flat in Vashi were fake. The realisation struck a tad late, though, for he had already paid the agents Rs 16 lakh as a token amount.
According to police, Kumar, who stays in Sanpada when he's in the country, approached a real estate agent in Navi Mumbai in December with the intention of buying five flats in the satellite city.
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The agent introduced Kumar to Pankaj Sharma, Praveen Ahire and Shwet Kumar Dora.
The trio showed Kumar a 1,200-sq ft flat, in Vashi Sector 28. He liked the flat and the deal was finalised at Rs 28 lakh. They showed Kumar all the documents related to the flat and asked for Rs 16 lakh as token payment.
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When he paid, the documents and a set of keys for the flat were handed over to him with the promise that he would get possession in March. Kumar smelt something fishy, however, when he did not hear from them again.
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"I went to the registrar office in the area and was told that the documents were forged. I approached the Vashi police on March 24 and filed a complaint against Sharma, Ahire and Dora," he said.
Sharma and Kumar were arrested on Saturday and were remanded in police custody till April 14, but Dora is absconding. "Two of the accused have been arrested," said DCP Ashok Dudhe.
"One of the agents offered me a 3-BHK flat in an upmarket area to withdraw his name from the complaint," said Kumar.
Investigation has revealed that the trio are part of a gang of nearly 40 members, which has a noted real estate agent as the kingpin.
The group not only forged ownership documents but also did franking by itself and even forged pan cards, ration cards, electricity bills and receipts to obtain bank loans.
"The syndicate operates from Koparkhairane and its kingpin has 21 offices across the satellite city. Its members are believed to have duped at least six banks by getting loans sanctioned using forged documents.
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An I-T raid was also conducted on the kingpin's offices last month," said an officer.
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