Rs 100cr housing scam hits DDA

The CBI has uncovered a multi-crore scam perpetrated by a nexus of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials and property dealers in which an estimated 150 DDA flats were allotted on 10 to 15-year-old rates and then sold off in the open market for a huge profit. Rajesh Ahuja reports.

The CBI has uncovered a multi-crore scam perpetrated by a nexus of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials and property dealers in which an estimated 150 DDA flats were allotted on 10 to 15-year-old rates and then sold off in the open market for a huge profit.

The investigation by the CBI has revealed that the flats - mainly in Dwarka and Paschim Vihar - were fraudulently acquired by property dealers for Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh and then sold off for Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

The CBI has booked half-a-dozen DDA officials and several property dealers.

"We suspect that after completion of probe, the number of such fraudulent allotments could go up to 500," said an investigator.

The CBI probe has revealed that the DDA in 1979 invited applications for allotment of flats, which were allotted to the applicants as per their priority number generated through draws.

But some applicants had their registration numbers cancelled when they failed to deposit the due amount or cost of the flat. Files of such cancelled flats were consigned to the record room.

"In 2007-08, property dealers targeted these files and bought the old registration certificates from the original applicants for Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh," said the investigator.

The dealers then moved backdated applications, on behalf of the original applicants, that informed the DDA about a change in their address. Once their backdated application came on record with help of conniving DDA officials, another application was moved to tell the DDA that they had not received their allotment letters and sought fresh allotment on old rates.

"The plea was that despite intimating the DDA about a change in the address, they never received their allotment letters, making them eligible for a fresh allotment on old rates," said the investigator.

Meanwhile, the DDA records were fudged by officials to show that the applicant had indeed sent an intimation of change of address. Investigators found that pre-dated entries were written into old 'Dak Registers' which had visible overwriting.

"Once the DDA allotted flats at old rate of Rs 10 to 15 lakh, brokers sold them at market rate that ranged between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore," said the investigator.