EOW Registers FIR In Bhopal Housing Society Scam; Members Wait 40 Years For Plots

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Economic Offences Wing has registered an FIR against the former and present office-bearers of Hilltop Housing Co-operatives Society, Bhopal, for cheating the members on the pretext of offering plots, officials said here on Friday.

The members have been waiting to get possession of their plots for the last 40 years. The police have registered the case against Satyendra Agarwal, present chairperson Anita Singh and others for cheating people.

In 1986, the then Tehsildar Satyendra Agarwal had formed a housing cooperative society in which revenue officials were made members. He became the chairman of the society in course of time.

About 250 people became members of the society from whom approximately 4 crore were collected.

The society purchased 25 acres of land for Rs 23 lakh and also gave an advance sum of Rs 12 lakh to purchase 30 acres of land.

The land was purchased in Kotra Sultanabad, Barkhedi Khurd, Bawadia Kala and in Prempura in Bhopal district. Though the society had ample land, plots were not given to actual buyers.

The investigation revealed that directors of the society never gave property documents to plot owners.

They gave photocopies of the registration of land, which had incorrect plot numbers. Shockingly, one plot of land was sold to many people. The directors took a huge amount from plot buyers but did not give them receipts.

In the co-operatives department audit report of 2023-24, it was found that a large number of plots were sold earlier before the final layout approval.

The directors had cheated the former government employees and several senior citizens in the name of plot allocation.