Real Estate Scam in Mumbai: Woman Arrested for Duping 80-Year-Old in Rs 1.27 Crore Fraud Case

The Borivali Police have arrested a woman wanted in connection with the ₹1.27 crore fraud case, where an 80-year-old man was duped under the pretext of getting two bank-seized flats at a lower price. The arrested accused has been identified as Roz Sudhir Padbidri, who was produced before the court after her arrest. Three other accused Smita Potdar, Sanjay Parker, and Abhishek S.V. are still absconding, and police efforts to trace them are ongoing.

The victim, Atmaram Sawant, a retired private company employee, lives in Borivali with his wife, who is a retired government employee. Of their three sons, two reside abroad, while one lives in Borivali. Sawant’s acquaintance with Smita Potdar began 13 years ago, when she informed him about two flats available in Kastur Park’s Sahyadri Society. One of the flats belonged to Kailas Borkar, who had defaulted on a home loan, leading to the bank seizing both flats.

Potdar assured Sawant that she could help him acquire the flats from the bank at a lower price. Trusting her, Sawant, who was keen to purchase both flats, agreed to the deal along with another accused, Sanjay Parker. As a token amount, he paid ₹80,000 through Assess Management and Resources Company.

Subsequently, Potdar introduced Sawant to Abhishek and Roz Padbidri, stating that they would assist in the flat purchase process. However, both flats were embroiled in legal proceedings, causing delays in possession. The accused then summoned Sawant for the registration process but, after collecting the necessary funds, failed to complete the registration.

Sawant had paid ₹1.27 crore to Potdar and her accomplices for the flats and registration formalities. When the accused continued to delay the handover, Sawant approached the Worli bank branch, where officials confirmed that no sale transaction had been conducted for the seized flats and that all original documents were still with the bank. This revelation exposed the fraud, as the accused had submitted forged documents to extract ₹1.27 crore from Sawant without delivering the flats or completing registration.

Following the incident, Sawant repeatedly demanded his money back, but the accused misappropriated the funds. Realizing the scam, he lodged a complaint with the Borivali Police, leading to an FIR against the four accused under charges of cheating, forgery, and criminal breach of trust.

All four accused went into hiding after the case was registered. However, the police launched a special operation, culminating in the arrest of Roz Padbidri after seven months of evading the authorities. The search for the remaining accused is still underway.