Chandigarh builder booked for duping Panchkula woman of ₹17 lakh

Victim alleged she was lured into buying an SCO in Green Estate Part-I situated on Barwala road but the space was never registered in her name

Police on Thursday booked a Chandigarh based builder for allegedly duping a Panchkula woman of ₹17.77 lakh on the pretext of selling her a showroom-cum-office (SCO) space.

HT Image

Geeta Phulia of Sector 11 here told the police that she met Prem Lal Midha and Poonam Midha, directors of M/s UT Builders and Promoters Limited, Sector 34, Chandigarh, in December 2008. She alleged that the duo lured her into buying an SCO measuring 100 square yards in Green Estate Part-I situated on Barwala road.

Phulia told the police that initially she paid ₹7.49 lakh as showroom plot price including stamp charges and later paid ₹11 lakh to the builder for construction of showroom on the plot.

Police said as per the complainant, she paid a total of ₹17.77 lakh, including miscellaneous charges for purchase of SCO including its construction and registration process. Investigating official, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Yashpal Singh, said when the complainant and her husband visited the site, they were shocked to find that the site was in the possession of some other person who told them he had purchased the space from Prem Lal Midha.

Police said when the complainant asked the builder to refund the money, Midha in 2011 allotted one unit of flat at Green Estate Part-I, Barwala road, in the name of her husband Jagdish Phulia. “Later, they found that the flat too was in name of some other person,” said the ASI. Based on the complaint, police initiated further probe in the matter and a case was registered under Sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.