Mumbai: The Kashimira police are on the lookout of racketeers who disappeared after duping prospective tenants to the tune of more than Rs. 47 lakh under the guise of offering them flats on a heavy deposit-zero rental scheme.
According to the police, the gang members posed as real estate agents and floated advertisements on social networking sites offering rent-free residential accommodation by paying one-time security deposits ranging between Rs. 10 to Rs.12 lakh which is returnable at the end of the tenure.
Responding to the advertisement a 32-year-old woman from Kandivali, contacted the advertiser who asked her to come to their office in Kashimira. The racketeers not only took them to a flat but also showed them the documents related to the property. The deal was struck, and the woman transferred a total of Rs. 12.21 lakh to bank accounts specified by the fraudsters.
When the complainant asked for the keys of the apartment, the fraudsters started doling out lame excuses and killing time on one pretext or the other. Sensing something fishy, the complainant demanded a refund, following which the fraudsters handed over dud cheques amounting Rs. 9.21 lakh, prompting her to file a complaint at the Kashimira police station.
Surprisingly, the woman was not alone as three others had also been collectively duped of Rs.47.01 lakh in the past two months in a similar fashion by the fly-by-night operators who disappeared after closing their office. The police have so far registered four FIRs under the relevant sections of the IPC and are in the process of scrutinising many such complaints.
“While one person has been arrested, we are on the lookout of five others including the kingpin of the racket.” said senior police inspector of the Kashimira police station - Rajendra Kamble who has cautioned home-seekers against such fraudsters and conduct financial transactions only after a proper verification about the actual owner with the housing society.
PSI Swapnil Belose is conducting further investigations. People looking for accommodation in the twin-city are increasingly getting attracted to the zero-rent scheme but end up getting cheated by such fraudsters.
