Mumbai: 43-Year-Old Zaveri Bazar Jeweller Duped Of ₹1.02 Crore In MHADA Flat Scam; Case Registered Against 4

Mumbai: The Malad police have registered a case against four persons for defrauding a jeweller of Rs1.2 crore rupees under the pretence of securing an affordable MHADA flat.

According to the police, the accused – Sachin Dhuri, Yogesh Pote, Mahadev Bodhle and Satish Jadhav – posed as MHADA officials to lure the victim, Prashant Jain, 43, the owner of Om Jewelers in Zaveri Bazaar.

Jain, who resides in Malad, met the accused in 2019. Pote introduced Dhuri as a class 1 officer responsible for MHADA flat allotments and introduced Bodhle and Jadhav as class 2 employees in administrative roles.

Pote provided identification badges and visiting cards for the accused, claiming they were MHADA officers. Dhuri and Pote explained MHADA’s mission to provide below-market-rate housing and described its lottery system, noting that the high demand led to challenges in allocation.

Believing he could secure a flat at a lower-than-market rate, Jain inquired about available properties in south Mumbai or suburbs from Charni Road to Andheri. The accused told him that flats initially allotted to lottery winners could sometimes be obtained through Dhuri, the supposed allotment officer if the winners couldn’t meet financial requirements.

Trusting them, Jain met the accused on July 2, 2021, at a hotel in Malad West, where he paid the money. They used forged documents and fake identification to defraud him.