The NRI Coastal Police registered a case of cheating against a developer and land owner for allegedly selling flats and shops of an under-construction building to multiple buyers. They allegedly cheated buyers to the tune of Rs 2.06 crore. Sumitra Madhukar Pradhan, 50, a resident of sector 20 in Belapur and one of the victims lodged a complaint after she was denied access to the flat she bought by paying Rs 26.5 lakhs. The accused were identified as Santosh Tiwari, Balaram Ramchandra Patil, and Dattatre Ramchandra Patil.
According to the complainant, Tiwari, the proprietor of Ritesh Enterprises, constructed a four-storey building in Sector 20 of Belapur Gaon. He informed Pradhant that there was a fifty-fifty agreement with the landowners, the Patils. Under this agreement, the first and third floors were designated for the landowners, while the second and fourth floors were intended for sale by Tiwari.
Pradhan booked a one BHK flat on the third floor with an initial booking amount of Rs 3 lakh on March 23, 2020, and subsequently paid Rs 23.5 lakhs by March 23, 2022. According to the police, Tiwari promised to hand over the flat within two months but kept delaying. Later, when Pradhan inquired further about the project, she discovered that flats and shops had been sold to multiple buyers, amounting to a total collection of Rs 2,06,70000.
Upon attempting to enter the building, Pradhan was shocked to find that the landowner had rented out the flats and shops to another person and was collecting rent. She was also threatened with a case if she tried to enter the building.
In response, she approached the NRI Coastal Police and filed a complaint. Subsequently, the police booked the developer and landowner under relevant sections of the IPC and the Maharashtra Ownership Flats (Regulation of the Promotion of Construction, Sale, Management, and Transfer) Act, 1963.