Mumbai, Oct 29 A man was arrested for allegedly cheating a 62-year-old woman of Rs 35 lakh on the pretext of providing her a flat in an under-construction Slum Rehabilitation Authority building in Dharavi, a Mumbai police official said on Thursday.
Murugan Anbalagan Pallan was arrested after being on the run for seven months, while two others, identified as Rajesh Pillai and Vinita Samadhan Surwade, have been named as co-accused, the Dharavi police station official said.
“The woman had purchased a flat in a residential building in the area through her husband in 2005 and had rented it out on a heavy deposit of Rs 10 lakh. The family later moved to Raigad and returned to Dharavi after one-and-half years. As her husband was unwell and her son had recently secured a new job, the woman found it difficult to arrange the money required to reclaim the flat from the occupant,” he said.
“She therefore decided to sell the property, repay the Rs 10 lakh deposit to the tenant and use the remaining amount to purchase another room. She came in contact with Murugan, who assured her that he could arrange an affordable flat through SRA or Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA),” the official added.
The woman sold her existing flat for Rs 40 lakh, paid Rs 10 lakh to the tenant and kept Rs 30 lakh to purchase another property. Murugan, Pillai and Surwade told her they had helped several people secure rooms at low prices, the official said.
“The three promised to get her a flat in an under-construction SRA project in Dharavi for Rs 35 lakh. She paid the accused Rs 35 lakh in instalments. However, they failed to hand over possession of the flat and also did not provide accompanying documents. When she approached them for an explanation, the accused allegedly began avoiding her,” he said.
She then approached Dharavi police and lodged a complaint, following which Murugan, Pillai and Surwade were booked for cheating, misappropriation and other offences.
Further probe into the case is underway, the official added.
(PTI News)
