Mumbai’s Kasturba Marg Police have arrested the builder father and his son for allegedly cheating a senior citizen and a couple of a total of ₹1.87 crore by fraudulently selling the same flat to multiple buyers. The accused have been identified as Mihir Ashok Jethwa and his father, Ashok Jethwa. Both are directors of Triveni Developers and are currently in police custody in connection with multiple cheating cases registered against them. Police said over 10 similar cases have been recorded against the duo.
Gururaja Rao, a 73-year-old resident of Datta Pada Road in Borivali, had been looking to invest in a flat nine years ago. During his search, he came across Triveni Developers, who were carrying out a redevelopment project of a cooperative housing society in Borivali. When Rao visited the site, construction work appeared to be in progress, prompting him to meet Mihir and Ashok Jethwa to discuss the flat.
The developers promised him Flat No. 1901 on the 19th floor of Wing A. Trusting them, Rao paid ₹1.51 crore and received an allotment letter. However, a few years later, Rao discovered that the same flat had been sold to another buyer. When he confronted the Jethwas, they assured him a flat in another project and promised possession by August 2023. That project, however, remains incomplete.
Police said the accused similarly cheated another couple—Nehal Patel and her husband Ritesh Patel. They were promised a flat in the B Wing of the same New Shivkrupa Co-operative Housing Society and paid ₹36.18 lakh to the developers. They too were neither given possession nor ownership, as the flat was sold to another buyer.
After learning about the fraud, both victims demanded their money back. However, the Jethwas refused to return the amounts. The senior citizen and the couple then approached the Kasturba Marg Police and registered a complaint.
Following verification of the complaint, police booked Mihir and Ashok Jethwa under charges of cheating and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act (MOFA). The duo was arrested on Wednesday and produced in court, which remanded them to police custody.
During the investigation, police found that Mihir and Ashok Jethwa were involved in several previous cheating cases. There are five cases registered against them at Kasturba Marg Police Station, four at Borivali Police Station, and one at MHB Police Station, a total of more than ten cases involving fraud and misappropriation. The father-son duo has also been arrested in another cheating case, police said.