A 56-year-old Khar-based homemaker was allegedly duped to the tune of ₹40 lakh by three men, one of whom had posed as a government servant, promising the complainant of a home in 'CM quota'. The accused men asked the woman to wire ₹40 lakh on an urgent basis to ensure her booking, only to later get vague answers. While a case has been lodged at Bandra police station, no arrests have been made yet.
The homemaker was approached by a man she knew for years together, Sunil Java, who claimed to know an interior designer, Rahul Bendre, who had allegedly designed homes for celebrities and ministers. Java introduced the homemaker to Bendre, who said to have booked a house in Chief Minister's quota, at the cost of ₹2 crore when the market value for the same was ₹7-8 crore, it was made possible by an inside man, who worked at the 'Ministry of Home Affairs', identified as Rajendra Narkar, according to the First Information Report.
"When they approached me to invest ₹40 lakh in December, I was skeptical, but when they said that the offer will be gone, I agreed to wire ₹40 lakh in two transactions. I even received a message congratulating me, saying that flats have been booked. While I was promised that flats will be selected in the first week of 2022, there was no confirmation, either written or verbal, of the huge payment I made for the flat," the complainant told The Free Press Journal.
Worried for the cash, when the woman approached Java and Bendre, to set up a meeting with this person with political connections, Narkar, after much hesitation, they met up at a city-based hotel. "When I met Narkar, he had come in a car with a beacon. He assured me that I will get the flats, but had never shared his number. Narkar, however, gave me his card, which had a national emblem embossed, giving me the impression that he is a government servant," added the 56-year-old complainant.
There was, however, no word on flat allotment or selection, after which the complainant kept enquiring with the accused trio, but to no avail. Finally, when she sought the number of MHA offices in Delhi, she learnt that nobody by the name of Narkar worked there. Upon learning the truth, she contacted Java, Bendre and Narkar, but was turned away or given vague answers.
The homemaker then approached Bandra Police and lodged a complaint, acting on which a case was registered on February 18. "We are investigating the case and it seems Narkar has cheated the woman by impersonation. While we will be freezing the account of the accused and making arrests soon, we urge any more victims to come forward if they were cheated using the same modus operandi," said an officer close to the investigation.
The Bandra Police have booked Narkar, Bendre and Java under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating (section 420), forgery (section 465), impersonation of a public servant (section 170), forgery for purpose of cheating (section 468) and using as genuine a forged (section 471).
While the main accused, Narkar, did not respond to the calls and messages, another accused in the case, Bendre said that he too has been a victim in this fraud and was unaware of Narkar's misdeeds. "I have also invested ₹40 lakh in the same manner and I learnt about his fake identity only after this FIR was lodged," Bendre added.
