Man booked for duping 12 of ₹65 lakh with fake SRA flat promise

Police said the accused collected money from victims between December 2025 and January 2026 by claiming he could use his political contacts to secure rehabilitation tenements in Tulsiwadi

MUMBAI: A man who allegedly posed as an employee in the office of the late deputy chief minister and promised low-cost Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) flats has been booked for cheating at least 12 people of ₹65 lakh in Mumbai’s Tardeo.

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Police said the accused, who identified himself as Latif Rajguru, allegedly collected money from victims between December 2025 and January 2026 by claiming he could use his political contacts to secure rehabilitation tenements in Tulsiwadi.

The case was registered by Tardeo police on the complaint of Kanta Maru, 48, a Tulsiwadi resident who works at a private hospital. Maru was looking to buy a house in Tardeo in December 2025 when a real estate agent introduced her to Rajguru, claiming he worked in the office of the late deputy chief minister.

According to police, Rajguru told Maru he could arrange an SRA flat in Tulsiwadi at a lower price by using his influence. He allegedly sought an advance of ₹55,000 and later met her in Tardeo wearing what appeared to be a Government of Maharashtra identity card. He allegedly claimed he could regularise ineligible slums and transfer an SRA tenement in her name.

“As time passed without any progress in the allocation, the complainant started doubting the accused and went to Mantralaya to inquire about him. There, she learnt that no such person worked in the deputy chief minister’s office,” the officer said, adding that the accused had cheated 12 people to the tune of ₹65 lakh.

The police have booked the accused under sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), 336 (forgery) and 340 (fraudulent use of forged documents or electronic records) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The accused is yet to be arrested.