The recent Rs 3,000-crore housing scam, exposed by the Virar Police, has sent shockwaves across the middle class home-buying community, who had sought refuge in the adjacent districts of Palghar and Thane, due to the skyrocketing property prices in Mumbai. With several new developers erecting a glut of houses under various schemes at throwaway prices in these regions, owning a dream home finally seemed like a possibility. Those hopes have now been shattered for many.

mid-day has been reporting about the multi-crore housing scam that has rocked the VVCMC. On August 9, authorities from the municipal body filed three FIRs against seven builders. Sources at the Virar Police told mid-day when the VVCMC first learnt about illegal and unauthorised constructions mushrooming in the region, it slapped notices under the Maharashtra Region Town Planning (MRTP) Act against them.