Builder, wife, three others booked for duping flat buyers of ₹73L
A cheating case has been registered against developer Lalit Tekchandani and his wife, along with three others, for duping two residents of ₹73 lakh.
MUMBAI: A cheating case was registered on Tuesday against five people, including developer Lalit Tekchandani and his wife, for duping two Chembur residents of ₹73 lakh under the pretext of selling them flats in their project in Taloja, Navi Mumbai.
The accused have been identified as Lalit Tekchandani, his wife Kajal Tekchandani, Arun Makhijani, Manulla Kachwala, and Mija Mohammad Nurul Hassan Ibrahim.
The police have started the process of a Lookout Circular (LOC) against the developer as police tried to contact but he is not at his residence and not reachable on the phone, said deputy commissioner of police Hemrajsingh Rajput.
According to the police, the complainant, Hira Jadhwani, 64, said that in 2012 he met Makhijani in Chembur who said that a new project called Hex City and Clan City had been started by Supreme Construction Developers in the Taloja area and he does not require to pay the entire amount, he can pay gradually and will own the property.
After this, Jadhwani visited the office and found that Tekchandani and his wife Kajal were both directors in the construction firm. Makhijani showed and explained the plan of the project being prepared at Rohinjan, Taloja, Navi Mumbai which will be completed in 2017-18.
Jadhwani liked the project and was informed that a 1 BHK flat would cost around ₹36 lakh and he booked the flat in the project with a carpet area of 360 sq ft and a balcony of 67 sq. ft. total 427 sq ft carpet. He paid ₹1 lakh token amount through cheque in the name of Supreme Construction Developers. He did the registration in March 2016 and paid a total of ₹41 lakh in multiple installments including registration charges. He also took a loan of ₹25 lakh from Axis Bank. The developer promised him the flat’s possession in December 2017 but failed.
The complainant’s friend and another victim, Jeevat Mangalani, 60, a Chembur resident, had also booked a flat in the same project. Mangalani claims that he booked a flat in 2010 and paid ₹ 32 lakh but did not get the possession. “There are more than 100 people who have booked flats and were allegedly duped by the builders. A total of four persons have approached us, and we have registered a case of two persons and other statements will also be included in the FIR,” said Rajput.