A retired senior citizen has accused a builder and his partner of cheating him and drawing an illicit loan from a private bank in Andheri (E). The complainant claims that the builder had sold him a flat which had unclear dues of over ₹12 lakh under the redevelopment scheme. The incident of cheating came to light when a letter from the private bank arrived at the complainant's home, after which he had approached the court with a writ petition. However, when the accused did not meet the terms, the complainant approached the police for lodging a complaint.
According to police, the 63-year-old complainant's father owned a house in an Andheri-based chawl, which had gone into redevelopment in 2002 and the Royal Arcade builders had facilitated accommodations in a nearby transit camp. Since the complainant's father was elderly, they had requested a flat on the lower floors and were allotted one on the second floor. After the demise of the complainant's father, they were allowed a flat on the fifth floor and were given possession in 2010.
In 2017, the complainant had received a letter from a private bank, that claimed that ₹12.42 lakh was the loan pending to be repaid. Since the complainant had not taken any loan, he approached the bank and asked them to give details of the same, for clarity. The bank, however, refused to oblige, and the complainant approached the court through a writ petition.
Last year, it was revealed that the builder's business partner had allegedly drawn a home loan on the complainant's flat, and after accepting, the accused had agreed to clear the loan by June 31, last year. The accused, however, failed to come through and eventually sold a fifth-floor flat to the complainant without clearing the loan, thereby cheating him of ₹12.42 lakh. Accordingly, the senior citizen approached the police and lodged a complaint.
Police said that the accused duo-- builder and the business partner, were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating and common intention and that no arrests have been made. Andheri Police are probing the matter and action will be taken after a detailed investigation.
