4 people have been booked for allegedly defrauding two goldsmiths from South Mumbai of Rs 80 lakh by promising them a room within the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) undertaking at Kanjurmarg. The police stated that the accused falsely claimed to have connections with senior MMRDA officers and used cast paperwork to achieve the sufferer’s belief earlier than fleeing with their cash.
In response to the police, the victims, Bhuvaneshwar Santra and Bimal Samantha, are residents of Kanjurmarg. In his criticism, Bhuvaneshwar said that he was launched to one of many accused, Kunal Sawant, by a 55-year-old acquaintance.
“The 55-year-old informed him that he knew somebody at MMRDA who may assist safe flats at a less expensive charge. In mid-2023, as Bhuvaneshwar expressed curiosity, the aged man took him to Sawant and launched them,” an officer from LT Marg police station stated.
The police stated that Sawant, posing as a authorities worker, claimed to know senior officers at MMRDA and guaranteed Bhuvaneshwar that he may assist safe a flat for Rs 36 lakh. Keen to purchase a brand new flat, Bhuvaneshwar agreed and made an preliminary cost of Rs 12.42 lakh in August 2023.
To additional acquire his belief, Sawant cast pretend allotment letters and different paperwork from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority and the District Collector’s workplace, which he despatched to Bhuvaneshwar. Sawant later launched him to 3 different people, recognized solely as Kadam, Tawde and Pawar.
“I used to be informed that Kadam would hand me the keys to the allotted flat, whereas Pawar and Tawde, who have been stated to work with senior MMRDA officers, would help with the documentation,” Bhuvaneshwar stated in his assertion to police.
Between July 2023 and July 2024, Bhuvaneshwar paid Rs 40 lakh in complete. Nevertheless, because the accused failed at hand over the keys to the flat, Bhuvaneshwar repeatedly adopted up. Ultimately, when Sawant turned unreachable by telephone, he visited the handle supplied however discovered that Sawant had not lived there for over two years. Bhuvaneshwar then visited Sawant’s dad or mum’s house, the place he was informed that they had no information of his whereabouts.
“Months later, when Bhuvaneshwar found that one other goldsmith had been duped of Rs 40 lakh in an identical method, Samantha and him looked for Sawant for just a few days earlier than reporting the incident to the police,” stated an officer.
After a preliminary inquiry, the LT Marg police registered a case of dishonest and forgery towards the 4 accused. Groups have been assigned to find the suspects, stated police.
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