Worli Police have arrested a wanted real estate agent for allegedly defrauding the owner of Avighna Group, promising him a vacant plot in Worli for development. The accused, identified as Dhirendra Chandraprakash Shukla, was on the run for the past year after a case was registered against him for cheating the developer out of Rs 2 crore and 3.5 kg of gold.
According to the police, the complainant, Kailash Kedar Nath Agarwal (72), a resident of Worli, owns a real estate development business under the Avighna Group. His son, Nishant Agarwal, is the managing director of the company. A few months ago, Agarwal met Shukla, who introduced himself as a real estate agent with substantial experience in the field. Shukla claimed to have helped many developers with property transactions across Mumbai, including in Worli, Dadar, and Prabhadevi, to gain Agarwal's trust.
Shukla shared details about properties in the Worli Sea Face and Harkness Road areas, offering to help Agarwal acquire and develop these. Among the properties Shukla showed was a site on RG Thadani Road, Worli Estate, Scheme No. 58, which caught Agarwal's interest. When Agarwal expressed his desire to purchase the property, Shukla claimed to have a close connection with its owner and even showed some documents. He promised to arrange a meeting with the owner to finalize the deal. Shukla then informed Agarwal that the property was valued at Rs 150-160 crore, and asked for an advance of Rs 2 crore.
Two months later, Shukla returned, claiming that the property owner was leaving the country and urgently needed the money. He assured Agarwal that a meeting with the owner would be arranged soon. Trusting Shukla, Agarwal handed over Rs 2 crore and 3.5 kg of gold.
However, when Agarwal tried to contact Shukla later, there was no response. Whenever Agarwal called, Shukla gave evasive replies. Realizing he had been cheated, Agarwal filed a complaint with Worli Police. After verifying the complaint, the police registered a case of fraud against Shukla.
An officer from the police department stated that after the FIR was registered, Shukla fled and had been absconding for a year before being arrested.