Chembur builder arrested for fraud in housing projects

Mumbai Police arrest Lalit Tekchandani, a developer, on charges of cheating flat buyers with unfulfilled promises of homes. Four cases filed against him.

Mumbai: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police has arrested Lalit Tekchandani, a Chembur-based promoter and developer, on charges of cheating flat buyers with unfulfilled promises of homes. In the past two weeks, the state police have filed four cases against Tekchandani.

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“We had called him for questioning after he didn’t cooperate with investigations he was arrested,” said an EOW officer. BJP leader Mohit Kamboj Bharatiya also announced Tekchandani’s arrest on X, labelling him as a blackmailer and extortionist.

According to police, Hira Jadhwani, who operates a watch repairing business in Chembur, lodged a complaint against Tekchandani, his wife, and four others on January 15th.

Jadhwani had met Tekchandani, the director of Supreme Constructions Developers, at Sindhi Society in Chembur. “He was told about a project Hex City/Clean City built by the builder in Taloja he had gone to in 2012. He was told the possession would be somewhere in 2017-2018, however, the work stopped in 2016,” said a police officer from EOW.

More than 105 flat buyers had paid for flats but received none. Tekchandani was questioned by the EOW for more than nine hours before placing under arrest. Last week the agency also carried out searches at his home and office in Chembur and BKC. The complainant himself had paid ₹41 lakhs to the builder.