Industrialist duped of 3.5 crore in propery deal, ten booked

At least 10 people were booked for allegedly duping an industrialist of 3.5 crore by fraudulently selling him a residential property in Sushant Lok-3, which belongs to a real estate firm and was one of the several properties seized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2014 in a multi-crore scam, said police on Tuesday.

Police said the victim, Dalip Mishra, entered into an agreement with the suspects on March 19, 2018, and started residing in the property from March 28 the same year. Police said the property belongs to a real estate firm, which is facing CBI investigation for its involvement in a multi-crore scam.

According to police,the suspects had allegedly shown Mishra forged documents that a committee appointed by the Supreme Court, looking into the scam investigation, passed favourable order allowing the sale of the property seized by the CBI.

Mishra allegedly spent 25 lakh on renovating the house. When the CBI got to know that he was residing on the premises measuring 816 square yards, they contacted Gurugram police in 2019. Police said that Mishra was summoned to Sector 56 police station with the property documents in 2019 and was served a letter from the CBI addressed to him that he was illegally occupying the property.

Mishra started questioning the suspects and pressurised them to repay him the money. After months of persistence, in September 2020, one of the suspects returned him ₹30 lakh stating that the proposal to sell the property was not accepted by the SC committee. It was then that Mishra realized that he was allegedly cheated and the property documents were forged, said police.

On January 18, 2021, Mishra submitted a complaint to Gurugram commissioner of police, following which the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) conducted a preliminary inquiry.

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Virender Vij said in the preliminary inquiry, enough evidence was found to prove that Mishra had been cheated. “The station house officer of Sector 56 police station submitted a report, after which an FIR was registered,” he said.

On Mishra’s complaint, an FIR was registered against ten people under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly using a forged document or electronic record as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 56 police station on Monday night.

Vij said necessary action would be taken against the suspects after further investigation.

In the FIR, Mishra alleged the suspects had prepared forged documents to make him believe that the Supreme Court appointed committee looking into the scam, would release the property in his favour after the token money is deposited for its sale.

Mishra alleged the suspects offered him the property for 5 crore and that he agreed to the deal as the property was situated at a location of his choice. Mishra alleged he paid 3.5 crore, of which 30 lakh was returned to him after he pressured one of the suspects to repay the money when he came to know that the property could not be sold.

Mishra also alleged that the suspects took him into confidence by showing documents that they had proposed the sale of the property before the SC committee, which had allegedly given its approval to the proposal.

The industrialists alleged that the suspects even made him fill out a form, which said he was interested in purchasing the property, so that it could be submitted before the committee for getting the property released for sale. Mishra was contacted twice but denied commenting on the matter.

Police said according to Mishra’s complaint, one was his relative, three were brokers, one a representative of a Kolkata-based firm, four were directors of the two firms facing CBI investigation in the multi-crore scam. There was one more person who was given the responsibility of clearing the sale of the property. Police said Mishra’s relative had introduced him to the brokers for purchasing the property.

According to Mishra, the suspect, who returned him the money, was associated with a Kolkata based firm, which had entered into an agreement with one of the two firms involved in the scam for selling its properties to arrange money for depositing before the SC committee.

According to investigators, the scam being investigated by the CBI was of around 40,000 crore.

The two real estate private firms had allegedly collected money from a large number of investors promising to provide them developed agricultural lands.

When contacted, the suspect who returned the sum of 30 lakh to Mishra, said, “Mishra had entered into an agreement with me that he will vacate the property as we could not get the acceptance from the SC committee for its sale,” said the suspects.

“It is a real estate firm’s property. Today, most of its officials are behind bars. The property could not be sold just in a haphazard way,” said the suspect.