MUMBAI: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police has registered a second case in the matter of Patra Chawl, a 47-acre MHADA layout in Goregaon, which, in its quest for redevelopment, became embroiled in a land scam and political controversy. The agency said the case had been registered against Mehta Developers for forging the documents of eight tenants and transferring their tenements to eight other people, causing them a loss to the tune of ₹12 crore.
“We have registered a case against Jeetu Mehta, the then administrator of Housing Development & Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), supervisor Sandeep Parab, and employee Abbas Fahim and others who helped forge the documents,” said a senior EOW official. The police said the case was registered in Kherwadi police station, as the documents were submitted in MHADA’s Bandra East office.
The case has been registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (criminalises the act of fraudulently or dishonestly using a forged document or electronic record as genuine), 474 (individuals who possess a forged document or electronic record, knowing it is forged, and intend to use it as genuine) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The police said that the complainant, Navin Dalwai, and other residents had given their redevelopment rights to Sai Siddhi Developers and were to get flats in Goregaon Pearl Society. As the project got considerably delayed, they made applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, only to find that their properties had been transferred to the employees of Mehta Developers owned by Jeetu Mehta, the then HDIL administrator. The residents claimed in the FIR that they had not entered into any agreement with HDIL or Guru Ashish Constructions, which is an arm of the now-bankrupt HDIL.
{{/usCountry}}The police said that the complainant, Navin Dalwai, and other residents had given their redevelopment rights to Sai Siddhi Developers and were to get flats in Goregaon Pearl Society. As the project got considerably delayed, they made applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, only to find that their properties had been transferred to the employees of Mehta Developers owned by Jeetu Mehta, the then HDIL administrator. The residents claimed in the FIR that they had not entered into any agreement with HDIL or Guru Ashish Constructions, which is an arm of the now-bankrupt HDIL.
{{/usCountry}}The redevelopment had begun with the appointment of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd. The project involved the rehabilitation of 672 families, and a portion of the housing stock was to be shared with MHADA. However, Guru Ashish sold the plot to nine other developers, and the redevelopment, which was initiated in 2008, went down a tortuous route of scams and treachery. In 2014, the developer stopped paying rent to the families. The project’s contract was terminated in 2018 on the grounds of violating project terms and conditions, and subsequently, MHADA took over the stalled project.
Patra Chawl has also been in a political row involving Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and his close aide Pravin Raut. The enforcement directorate had arrested both in the alleged money-laundering case.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.