Businessman duped of Rs 1.41 crore in land sale scam

Made a fake deal for 102 acres of land near Daulatabad

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In a shocking incident, a businessman was swindled out of Rs 1.41 crore under the pretext of facilitating the legal process for selling a land parcel near Daulatabad. The land, measuring a total of 102 acres, was allegedly to be sold to Club Mahindra Company for Rs 140.56 crore. A case has been registered at the MIDC Cidco police station, and the main suspect, Monish Vig, has been arrested.

The accused in the case include Monish Vig, Ishwin Arora, Sandeep Sapkal, Omkar Muluk, Anil Bhambid alias Anil Jaju, and Indresh Tiwari. All the accused are residents of Mumbai. According to the complaint filed by businessman Sandeep Subhashchandra Sokia, he and his partner owned the land in Gut No 7, 8, 9/1, 9/2 in Daulatabad.

In June 2021, Sokia's brother introduced Vig from Mumbai, who claimed that Mahindra Club was interested in acquiring 100-150 acres of land in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for a resort. Upon discussion with his partner, Sokia agreed to sell 102 acres of land to Mahindra Club. Vig visited the city, and the land deal was finalized in the Chikalthana MIDC area.

Vig stated that Mahindra company would purchase the land for Rs 140.56 crore, and the landowners would have to bear the entire cost of the legal process. He assured them that they would be reimbursed by the company during the registration process. Consequently, Sokia paid Rs 1.40 crore to Vig in installments. However, despite receiving the money, the land transaction was not completed. When Sokia demanded a refund, Vig allegedly threatened him with fire consequences. Further inquiries revealed that Vig had left Club Mahindra Company several years ago. The case was registered at Cidco station.

Police investigation and arrest

Following the registration of the case, on the instructions of senior PI Gautam Patare, a team traveled to Mumbai. Vig, residing in a luxurious flat in Chembur, was detained and brought back to the city. It was discovered during the police investigation that Vig had recently left his senior position at Club Mahindra and joined the Reliance Group.