After evading the dragnet for nearly four years, the kingpin of financial frauds ran out of luck and finally landed into the custody of the Mira Road police. The accused Arun Shinde (48) was wanted for his involvement in cheating a Sanpada-based serviceman by promising cheap flats under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) allotment-by-lottery scheme.
Arrested from Satara, Shinde posed as an MHADA official to cheat innocent home seekers. Shinde tricked the complainant into paying Rs. 93.68 through multiple transactions in cheque and cash mode. Neither did Shinde honor his promise of providing the flat, nor did he refund the money. Based on the complaint registered by the Sanpada resident, the police had already arrested two people for assisting Shinde in the fraud. However, Shinde went into hiding and frequently changed his location to dodge the police.
“We had received a tip-off that the fugitive was holed up somewhere in Satara. To ensure his exact location we sent our cyber experts first. After confirmation, we got in touch with our local counterparts who apprehended him from a highway dhaba (eatery) in the Kodoli area of Satara,” said Senior Police Inspector Vijaysingh Bagal.
The MBVV police under the instructions of commissioner Sadanand Date, DCP Amit Kale and ACP Vilas Sanap have launched a drive to nab fugitives. The accused is said to be a serial offender with similar crimes and dud cheque cases registered against him at various police stations including Mira Road, Jogeshwari and Rabale. MHADA's affordable housing scheme offers low-cost houses via draw-of-lots where applicants are segregated based on their income. Meanwhile, the accused has been remanded to custody till 29 January after he was produced before the court. Further investigations were underway.
