Real estate agent arrested for illegally taking over Gehna Vashist’s Malad flat

The police have sent notices to all the other accused to remain present for recording their statements

Mumbai: The police on Thursday arrested one person for allegedly forging documents and taking over the Malad west residence of actress Gehna Vashist aka Vandana Tiwari.

In June 2022 when she visited her flat, she realised that it had been taken over by some people and the occupants did not let her enter the premises. (Hindustan Times)

According to the police, the accused, identified as Waseem Shaikh, works as an estate agent. The police are now on the lookout for three of his accomplices -- Sujata Shetty, Ruksana Ansari and Shoaib Ansari -- who allegedly forged the documents of pertaining to the MHADA flat worth ₹60 lakh and took it over.

The police have sent notices to all the other accused to remain present for recording their statements. Shaikh was produced before the court on Thursday and was remanded to police custody for two days.

On July 3, Vashisht alleged that in 2018 she had bought the flat in the MHADA colony for ₹59 lakh and intended to rent it out. “I used to visit a medical store owned by Shaikh who told me that he was an estate agent and would help me rent out the flat,” said Vashisht.

In June 2022 when she visited her flat, she realised that it had been taken over by some people and the occupants did not let her enter the premises.

“I had given the flat on rent to a woman earlier but my society secretary called me and said that I will have to engage the services of their estate agent to rent my flat so with the help of Shaikh, who resided in the same building, I rented the flat to Shetty on rent of ₹18,000 and deposit of ₹80,000. During the lockdown, Shetty told me that she will not be able to pay rent for five months and will later clear it. I agreed after which I got arrested,” said Vashisht.

The actress was arrested in relation to the pornography case, in which Raj Kundra is accused.

“In 2021 when I did not receive the rent, I contacted Shaikh, who told me that they would settle the rent but since January 2021, I did not receive the rent and I got suspicious,” she said. Later, Vashisht said, she received a call from her society secretary asking her who was staying in her flat.

“The secretary informed me that some woman named Ruksana was staying in the flat which she had taken on rent (heavy deposit) when I asked her, who had signed the agreement, as I was the owner as my nameplate was on the door and I had been paying the maintenance bills, Ruksana said that Shetty had done the agreement as the flat documents were in her name,” said Vasisht.

On enquiry, Vashisht said, she found out that Sujata Shetty had forged documents of the ownership of the flat and taken it over. “I later learnt that Shaikh was also involved in the forgery,” said Vashisht.

Vashisht added that when she tried to contact Shaikh and Shetty they abused her and refused to hand over the flat to her.

The actress then approached the Malwani police, but for one year the police ignored her complaints. “It was only after I met police commissioner Sanjay Pandey, that he instructed the police to register FIR. Even after that, the police have been unable to arrest the accused and give me my flat back.

“They kept asking me to get the bank loan documents, statements, ownership agreement etc which I have submitted several times. I have bought this flat with my hard-earned money and now I someone else is staying in it and claiming to be the owner and I am the one still paying the maintenance,” said Vashisht.