Mumbai: Police in Bandra recently filed an FIR against the managing director of Legend Leasing and Finance Limited and her husband for allegedly committing criminal breach of trust and causing property damage.
In his complaint to the police, Pradip Almadi, 69, said Divya Kushwaha and Jayanta Roy had rented his flat in Galaxy Apartment complex at Bandstand, Bandra (West). Before vacating, Kushwaha and her husband allegedly removed some equipment from and damaged various items in the flat.
Actor Salman Khan also lives in the same building, but he has no connection to this case.
According to the FIR, filed on August 10, Almadi lives in California. He, his brother Dilip and sister Suchitra jointly own Flat 16 on the sixth floor of Galaxy Apartment.
In 2019, Almadi entered into a rental agreement with Legend Leasing and Finance Limited, based in Khar (West). The agreement, covering the period from January 2019 to January 2022, allowed Kushwaha and Roy to live in the flat.
Tenants Failed To Pay Rent, Asked To Vacate Flat
Until September 2020, the couple were paying Rs 2.25 lakh per month as rent to Almadi. However, they later failed to make rent payments. As a result, Almadi requested that they vacate the flat and settle the outstanding rent.
Kushwaha assured Almadi that the rent would be paid but refused to vacate. Consequently, Almadi approached the Rent Control Authority, at Bandra-Kurla Complex. The authority directed Kushwaha to pay the outstanding rent and vacate the flat. Kushwaha challenged the authority’s decision in the Bombay High Court, which directed the matter to be appealed in the civil court.
Case Reaches SC
The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ordered Kushwaha to vacate the flat by July 31, 2024. If not, the lock would be broken, and Almadi would regain possession of the flat. Additionally, the court mandated that the remaining rent amount of Rs 75.26 lakh be paid to Almadi within eight weeks. Kushwaha handed over the flat to Almadi on July 10, 2024, but did not pay the outstanding rent.
Upon regaining possession of the flat, Almadi discovered that several items, including a refrigerator, a queen-sized bed, a mattress, lights, curtains, and all the furniture worth Rs 4 lakh were missing. The flat’s tiles, wooden ceiling, bathroom window and TV were also damaged.
Almadi filed a complaint against the couple at the Bandra station. The police registered a case under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code.
