Man lures people by offering cheap homes, arrested in ₹1 cr fraud

The police said the accused promised a cheap house in Dadar on a social media page and then had the victim pay him in 215 transactions

MUMBAI: A 36-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly cheating a Jogeshwari resident from 2018 to the tune of ₹1.07 crore. The police said the accused promised a cheap house in Dadar on a social media page and then had the victim pay him in 215 transactions.

Picture of handcuffs (Shutterstock)

The complainant is an employee of an elevator manufacturing company. In November 2018, he was scrolling through a social media app when he came across a page named Apna Ghar Apne City Mein. It took him to an app where he registered his profile on the platform and filled out a form, said a police officer. The website claimed to be selling cheap houses in Dadar, Andheri, Bandra, and Borivali. “A few minutes later, the accused called him saying his form was approved and he must pay a registration fee of ₹50,000,” said the police officer.

The fraud behind the app, Sayyam Pandey, used different voices and posed as multiple people. He asked the victim to pay money under various pretexts such as MHADA approval, municipal corporation NOC, and Mantralaya clearance. Till November last year, the victim paid him ₹1.07 crore in 215 transactions. Pretending to be a municipal corporation ward officer, he demanded more money from the victim. Failing to pay, Pandey said he will neither clear the deal nor refund the money. “The complainant reached out to a friend to borrow money and explained his circumstances. The friend told him he was cheated and suggested he approach the police,” said the police officer.

The West Region Cyber police registered a case on June 3 under sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

“We traced the accused to Sayyam Pandey through bank transactions. Pandey is a resident of Anant Nagar in Kulgaon, Badlapur East. We suspect he was working with others and cheated on more people. We have seized 23 debit cards, three mobile phones, a laptop and an iPad from him,” said the officer.