Two years on the run, man held for embezzling ₹3 crore in fake real estate deal

When the complainant realised that he had been cheated and demanded to return the money, the accused threatened to kill him, said a police officer

MUMBAI: The police on Sunday arrested a real estate agent, Amir Khandwala, who had allegedly duped a Jogeshwari resident of ₹3 crore in a fake real estate deal in 2023. When the complainant realised that he had been cheated and demanded to return the money, the accused threatened to kill him, said a police officer.

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According to the police, the incident dates back to October 2022, when the complainant, Mohammad Iliyas Buranuddin Sheikh, wanted to buy a flat and got acquainted with Khandwala. He and his accomplices told Sheikh that two flats were for sale at a discounted price of ₹3 crore, said a police officer. Between October 2022 and June 2023, Sheikh made the payment, after which he was told that he could soon occupy the flats once the documents were ready, the officer said.

“When the accused did not give him the flats despite continuous follow-ups, he demanded the money back, and he was threatened to be killed,” he added.

Realising that he had been cheated, Sheikh approached the Amboli police in September 2023 and registered a complaint against Khandwala and his accomplices. While the six accomplices were arrested in the same year, Khandwala has been on the run for two years and was arrested on Sunday.