Man booked for duping Surat bizman of ₹2.73 crore

The businessman had been struggling to get the ownership transferred owing to legal complications and had sought help from the accused

MUMBAI: The police have booked a 60-year-old man for allegedly duping a Surat based businessman of ₹2.73 crore by claiming that he was close to ministers and could help the businessman transfer ownership of 5.95 hectares of land in Thane that he had purchased in 2013. The businessman had been struggling to get the ownership transferred owing to legal complications and had sought help from the accused.

Man booked for duping Surat bizman of ₹2.73 crore

According to the police, the 52-year-old complainant from Surat, Pramod Shah, is a doctor by profession and has been in the real estate business for the past 20 years. Shah purchased and sold many properties in Mumbai through a broker named Bhagwat Salunkhe. Shah told the police that Salunkhe introduced two other brokers to him in 2013. The two brokers informed Shah about 5.95 acres of land worth ₹3 crore in Thane that a family was willing to sell and that they were looking for a buyer. Following this, Shah and the land owners signed a memorandum of understanding to transfer the ownership of land, said a police officer.

However, later, Shah continued to face challenges in getting the ownership of the land transferred into his name. Salunkhe claimed that a no objection certificate (NOC) was required for any land sale or purchase and introduced him to Suresh Patil, a resident of Mulund, claiming that he could help him transfer the ownership of the land in his name.

Shah told the police that Patil claimed himself as a special executive officer in the Youth Services and Sports Department of the Central Government and said he was close to some ministers. The police said that he promised to help Shah with his influence in acquiring the NOC as well as ensure his name was entered in the land ownership records and demanded an amount of ₹5 crore. Shah agreed to it and made a payment of ₹2.73 crore in cash between June 2013 to December 2013. Patil kept giving various reasons and delaying the process for years. Eventually, he started to avoid him, said a police officer.

Shah approached the Mulund police station on Monday and filed a complaint against Patil. The police registered an FIR against Patil under sections 316 (criminal breach of trust) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.