Thane: Daighar police have booked two partner-developers of a local construction firm for allegedly cheating a scrap businessman out of Rs 43 lakh by selling him an apartment using forged architectural plans in Shilphata, Thane.
According to police officials, the complainant was searching for a residential property in 2018 and approached the sales office of an under-construction housing project located at Shilgaon. The developers claimed the project held valid MahaRERA registration and promised full handover and possession by Dec 30, 2022. Impressed by the proposal, the buyer booked flat number 801 in the B-wing, originally planned as a 644 sq ft 2-BHK apartment, paying an initial booking token via cheque.
Between late 2018 and 2020, the buyer remitted multiple instalments through bank cheques and cash payments. In Nov 2020, company representatives informed the buyer that the floor layouts had been revised, expanding his allocated unit into a 721 sq ft 3-BHK flat. The developers demanded additional funds for the extra room, threatening to reallocate the apartment elsewhere if he refused. The buyer agreed and paid an additional Rs 6 lakh in cash.
In Dec 2020, a formal agreement for sale for the 3-BHK unit was registered at Talavpali sub-registrar office in Thane, bringing the cumulative amount paid to Rs 43 lakh.
Construction subsequently halted due to a land ownership dispute between the builders and the plot owner. Growing suspicious, the buyer examined the project’s official filings on MahaRERA portal. He discovered that the municipal corporation had only sanctioned a 514.67 sq ft 2-BHK layout, revealing that the 3-BHK layout and approval paperwork were entirely fabricated.
Following the victim’s complaint, an FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery. Further police investigation remains underway.
