Mumbai: Fraudsters Pose as SRA Officials, Dupe Healthcare Worker with Fake Flat Allotment

A healthcare worker from Govandi’s Deonar area has fallen victim to a fraud orchestrated by two brothers who promised her a cheap flat under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme. The Deonar police have registered a case against the accused duo, identified as Yogendra More and Sushant More, for issuing a bogus allotment letter and duping the woman. The police are also investigating if the brothers have committed similar crimes in the past.

The 38-year-old complainant, Poonam Kadam, resides in the Deonar Municipal Colony in Govandi. With her husband bedridden due to illness, she works as a healthcare worker for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Bainganwadi, Shivajinagar. Seven years ago, she became acquainted with Yogendra More, who lived in the same area, and they remained in contact over the years.

Two years after their acquaintance, Yogendra informed her about the ongoing slum demolition in the Maharashtra Nagar area of Mankhurd. He assured her that he could secure an SRA flat in the newly developed area through his strong connections within the BMC and the help of some officials. Trusting him due to her urgent need for a house, Poonam agreed and paid him ₹7 lakh in cash, in installments, by 2022.

Later, Yogendra’s brother Sushant handed her a purported allotment letter from the BMC and even showed her a room in an SRA building in Maharashtra Nagar to gain her trust. However, citing technical issues, they later refused to hand over the possession of the flat and continued to show her different rooms over the next three years without finalizing any.

During this time, some illegal occupants moved into the SRA flats in Maharashtra Nagar, leading to eviction proceedings. When Poonam questioned the brothers about the flat and demanded her money back, they started avoiding her calls and eventually switched off their phones. Upon further inquiry, she discovered that the allotment letter given to her was fake.

Realizing she had been duped, Poonam filed a complaint with the Deonar police. Following an investigation, the police registered a case against Yogendra and Sushant More for criminal conspiracy, forgery, and misappropriation of funds. The duo is expected to be interrogated soon as the investigation progresses.