Two brothers booked for duping 60 women of ₹2.4 cr by promising flats in Madh

Malwani police book two brothers for cheating 60 women of ₹2.40 crore by promising flats at Madh Island. Accused absconding, police searching for them.

Mumbai: The Malwani police have booked two brothers for allegedly cheating 60 women from a women’s group in Malad West of ₹2.40 crore by promising them flats at Madh Island.

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The accused, identified as Avinash Devran Bhanji and his brother Pramod Devram Bhanji, are absconding, and the police are looking for them.

The head of the women’s group, Sadhana Shivaji Bhandara, 46, approached the police along with 59 other women who had invested four lakh each for flats promised by the duo.

Bhandara was introduced to the developers by her niece around eight years ago. The two accused had allegedly told Bhandara that they had a project coming up of over 100 houses at a plot owned by them at Gate number 3, Shivaji Nagar at Madh Island.

Bhandara trusted the two and introduced them to the members of her women’s group who were interested in the project.

In the last two years, the accused took four lakh from every woman after signing an agreement. “The agreement signed by two promising them a flat is also fake,” said a police officer from Malwani police station.

Even after two years of the agreement, when Bhandara and the others who had paid noticed that the work for the construction of the houses had not begun, they approached the accused. The accused allegedly refused to pay back their money or give them their promised flats.

A case has been registered against the two accused under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (documents used for forgery) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Based on the statements of 60 women, the police registered a case. However, before they could arrest the two, the duo fled. “The accused have been declared absconding, and we are making efforts to trace them,” said the police officer.