Mira-Bhayandar: Four years after they absconded after duping 43 home seekers in Nalasopara to the tune of more than Rs 9.50 crore, one out of the four partners of the construction firm landed into the custody of the crime branch unit (Zone III) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police. The FIR dates back to 12th March 2020.
About The Case
The accused had established a construction firm-Prithvi Developers and floated advertisements offering flats in an under-construction housing project in the Yashwant Gaurav area, Nallasopara in 2012. The land owner – Chand Shaikh entered into a development agreement with the partners of the construction firm identified as-Chandrakant Patel, Pawan Tiwari, Munna Sharma and Brijesh Maurya. With a promise of handing over possession of the flats in 2015, the quartet rolled out a scheme envisaging a down payment of Rs.4 lakh and the rest to be paid in 36 equated monthly instalments (EMI).
As many as 43 investors fell for the scheme and paid a collective payment amounting to Rs 9.50 crore between 2012 and 2020. However, the construction work failed to take off leaving the home seekers in a lurch.
Offence Registered Under Relevant Sections Of Law Against The Land Owners & Partners Of The Construction Firm
An offence under section 420 (cheating of the IPC and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act-1999 was registered against the land owner and the partners of the construction firm who went into hiding.
While re-investigating cold cases, a team led by police inspector- Pramod Badhaakh on the virtue of tip-offs provided by informers, supported by electronic surveillance apprehended Brijesh Maurya (34) from the Alkapuri area of Nallasopara on Tuesday. However, his partners-in-crime are still absconding.
“The accused who hails from Uttar Pradesh was frequently chaining his locations. Efforts were on to nab his accomplices,” said Badhaakh. Investigations revealed Maurya’s involvement in five more cases of economic offences in the region. Meanwhile, Maurya was remanded to police custody till 26, August after he was produced before the court. Further investigations were on.
