Developer, Cidco employees booked in land scam

City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has registered a cheating case against 11 people, including a developer and five of its employees, for causing

City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has registered a cheating case against 11 people, including a developer and five of its employees, for causing a loss of ₹17 crore by illegally selling a plot originally used for building houses for Cidco employees.

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The plot at Nerul was acquired by a housing society in 2002. Snehapushpa Housing society was formed in 1993 and was supposed to house only Cidco employees. In 2002, the plot was given to the housing society on a 60-year rent agreement against a deposit of ₹73.79 lakh, as per the complaint of a Cidco officer.

Officials said the then chairman of the 30-member society inducted a developer, Haresh Nagji Chheda, as a member. Eventually, all members were replaced with non-Cidco people. As per the Cidco rules and regulations for the lease of land, only Cidco employees can be members of the housing society.

Cidco also alleged that the ‘new’ housing society flouted the norms and sold the plot to Shah and Chheda Homes Private Limited, partially run by Chheda, who constructed a building at the plot. The under-construction building is mired with civil dispute between Chheda and Cidco where both parties have claimed ownership of land, said the police.

“We have booked 11 people, including Chheda and five Cidco employees, four of whom are retired. The accused are booked on charges of cheating, conspiracy and forgery,” said Dinkar Mohite, senior inspector at CBD Belapur police station.

Police said the case is likely to be transferred to the economic offences wing of the Navi Mumbai crime branch, which will probe the matter to check the legality of the plot’s ‘sale’. No arrest has been made.