Two booked for duping couple of ₹15L by promising them MHADA flat in Vikhroli

Mumbai police launch manhunt for fraud and female accomplice who promised a MHADA flat from MLA quota to a couple and duped them of ?15 lakh.

MUMBAI: The police have launched a manhunt for a fraud and his female accomplice, who allegedly promised a MHADA flat from MLA quota to a couple and duped them of ₹15 lakh.

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Police officials said the accused extracted the money from the couple by giving them a fake allotment and possession letter issued in their name and by promising to hand over the keys to the house to them in a week.

After taking the money, the accused started avoiding them and later switched off the phones. It appears that the accused have duped several others using the same modus-operandi. The accused have been identified as Sakshi Kiran Ambekar, who lives in Kannamwar Nagar area in Vikhroli, and Sanjay Yadav lives in Ghatkopar.

According to the police, complainant Mayuri Gaikwad, 32, works in a private firm, lives along with her husband Ajit and two children in Vikhroli East. The couple has been staying on rent for the past 9 years and wanted to purchase their own house. Her husband Ajit’s friend Santosh Mahindra informed the victim that he knew Sakshi Ambekar, who had purchased a flat in MHADA and also helped several others get MHADA flats. Mahindra gave Sakshi’s mobile number to Ajit.

Mayuri called Sakshi on July 22, for enquiring about MHADA flat. She invited the woman and her husband to meet them at her place, when some other people were slated to meet her. Sakshi said that she would introduce them to one, Sanjay Yadav, who knew many people in MHADA and would help them secure a flat.

Accordingly, the couple went to meet Sakshi on July 26 when Yadav was also present who boasted of his contacts in the housing authority and promised to secure a flat for them from MLA quota, said a police officer.

The accused demanded ₹15 lakh and asked them to give ₹5 lakh in advance so that they could start the documentation process. The victim arranged ₹5 lakh and paid them through cheque, G-Pay and cash by September 2022. The accused then called the victim in October saying that their names had appeared in the MHADA list and a few days later the accused gave them a fake allotment letter.

In January this year the accused called the victim informing them that the MHADA flat was ready and to try to make full payment soon, so they could give them possession in two to three weeks. The victim then arranged money from their relatives and gave the accused a total ₹10 lakh more till April 2023, but after taking the money the accused started avoiding the calls. The victim then approached a MHADA employee in their office and learnt that the documents given to them were fake, said a police officer.

They then approached the Vikhroli police station where a case has been registered against the two under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery) and 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.