2 let out vacant Mhada homes, held

Two men from Shivaji Nagar were arrested for allegedly duping people looking for low-cost homes by renting out fraudulently acquired homes in Shivaji Nagar.

Two men from Shivaji Nagar were arrested for allegedly duping people looking for low-cost homes by renting out fraudulently acquired homes in Shivaji Nagar.

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The Shivaji Nagar police arrested Arif Shaikh, 28, and Mubin (second name not known) alias Hussain, 35, on Monday for allegedly breaking into yet-to-be-allotted houses constructed by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and renting them out by producing fake ownership papers.

The duo was operating from the MHADA colony on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd link road.

Assistant police inspector R Walatkar said: “We arrested Shaikh and Mubin based on a complaint that the duo was breaking open locks of MHADA houses that were yet to be allotted. They would produce fake documents and give the houses on rent. A complaint has been registered against them for forgery and forgery of valuable security.”

An officer from Shivaji Nagar police, requesting anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, said, “More arrests are expected in the case. People who rented the flats from the accused, for approximately Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 a month, were not aware that they were being duped.”

The police are still trying to ascertain the scale of the racket – the number of homes the accused broke into and how much money they made. “Investigations are on. As of now we are aware of only the basic details. We have just arrested the two accused and are interrogating them to find out who else is involved in the racket,” Walatkar said. “Once we interrogate them [the accused] and arrest more people in the case the details will become clearer.”