EOW arrests developer Jayesh Tanna again for duping 27 buyers

Tanna was already in judicial custody as the EOW had arrested him in May this year for allegedly duping a hotelier, Bellur Shetty, who had booked five flats (flat numbers - 701, 702, 703, 706, 707) in the accused’s project at DN Nagar, Andheri

Mumbai: Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested a private developer, Jayesh Vinod Tanna, 56, on Saturday, again, in another cheating case where he allegedly duped 27 flat buyers to the tune of ₹40 crore in a Goregaon-based project.

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Tanna was already in judicial custody as the EOW had arrested him in May this year for allegedly duping a hotelier, Bellur Shetty, who had booked five flats (flat numbers - 701, 702, 703, 706, 707) in the accused’s project at DN Nagar, Andheri, and had been promised the flats’ possession by 2015. But Tanna allegedly kept delaying the deadline and the victim even learnt that the accused had allegedly sold three of his flats (flat numbers 703, 706, 707) to another person by keeping him in the dark. Tanna, allegedly did not give the possession, nor did he return the money to the victim. A case was registered, and he was arrested.

Police then approached the court concerned and took his custody from Arthur Road jail based on the court order to investigate a fresh case.

The recent case was registered in the Goregaon police station on October 21 against Tanna, Deep Vinod Kumar Tanna, 50, Vivek Jayesh Tanna, 34, and members and office bearers of the Goregaon Pearl Cooperative housing society.

All three suspects live in the Balasinor Society located at SV Road in Kandivali West and are directors of Sai Siddhi developers.

According to the police, the complainant, Bhavin Barot, a businessman, wanted to buy a flat and visited the Pearl Cooperative Housing Society in Goregaon West, which Tanna has been redeveloping since 2012. Tanna had allegedly rehabilitated the old tenants and had sold some flats in the open market. Barot booked the flat at ₹1.60 crore and he was supposed to get the possession in January 2013, but the project was delayed, and Barot learnt that there was some dispute between the old tenants and the builder.

The redevelopment agreement was cancelled by the old tenants in 2018.

Later, Barot learnt that there were new buyers who had booked those flats, so all approached the Pearl Society members, but nothing happened.

Barot and the others then approached the police, and a case was registered in October. The 27 flat buyers were not given possession of the flats nor did not get their money, said a police officer. The accused have allegedly transferred a large amount of money from the company’s account to their personal bank accounts, the police officer added.

The accused are booked under sections 406 (breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker or agent), 420 (cheating) and 448 (punishment for house trace pass) of the IPC. Tanna was produced in court on Sunday.