Housing fraud in Vasai-Virar: Builders also sold same flats to multiple buyers, say police

In all, nine FIRs have been registered in various police stations across the Vasai-Virar region for the housing fraud and more than 21 people have been arrested for allegedly fabricating documents for the registration of 55 construction projects with the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA)

MUMBAI: The investigation into the illegal buildings in Vasai-Virar has unearthed that the several accused, arrested in the case, have also allegedly cheated several buyers after selling same flats to multiple customers.

On Wednesday, Vivek Jagannath Taari, 31, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar in Asalpha Village, Ghatkopar, told the police that the accused Dilip Benvanshi, partner of Rudransh Realtors and Machindra Vhanmane, owner of Mayur Enterprises registered flat 104 in the B wing of the Rudransh building in Chandansar, Nalasopara East (HT PHOTO)

In all, nine FIRs have been registered in various police stations across the Vasai-Virar region for the housing fraud and more than 21 people have been arrested for allegedly fabricating documents for the registration of 55 construction projects with the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA).

According to the police, they received many applications which alleged that they were sold flats already registered in the 117 buildings which have been verified by the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) as illegal.

On Wednesday, Vivek Jagannath Taari, 31, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar in Asalpha Village, Ghatkopar, told the police that the accused Dilip Benvanshi, partner of Rudransh Realtors and Machindra Vhanmane, owner of Mayur Enterprises registered flat 104 in the B wing of the Rudransh building in Chandansar, Nalasopara East.

Taari claimed that the flat was sold to him for ₹26 lakh. “Vhanmane even helped Taari get a bank loan of ₹25 lakh. After investigation, we have found that the accused had sold the flat to two buyers and took ₹50 lakh from them,” Rajendra Kamble, senior inspector, Virar police station, said.

The accused also got the flat registered in the name of both the buyers with the Registrar of Assurance in Vasai, another police officer said, adding, “We are now investigating to find out how many flats in the illegal buildings were sold to multiple buyers.”

During the investigation, the police unearthed that 117 buildings were constructed based on fake non-agriculture permission, construction permission, and occupancy certificates presented by the accused, using the forged signatures of the district collectors of Thane, Palghar and the town planner of VVCMC, for getting the projects registered with MahaRERA.

“We have found letterheads and seals of all these authorities with the 55 files, and we suspect that several buildings have been constructed with the help of forged documents,” Kamble said.

Meanwhile, the VVCMC authorities claimed that based on their complaints in the past two years FIRs have been registered under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966 (MRTP act) against more than 700 structures across the region, suspecting them to be illegal.

On August 1, the police arrested landowner Dilip Benvanshi, 31, Machhindra Vhanmane, 37, owner of Mayur Enterprises, Dilip Adkhale, 40, of Phoenix Corporation, Prashant Patil, 33, a partner in Rudransh Realtors, and stamp-maker Rajesh Naik, 54, after an FIR was registered following a complaint lodged by Ganesh Patil, the in-charge assistant commissioner of Ward C, Chandansar, about two buildings, Rudransh A and Rudransh B, constructed in the area.