Housing Fraud: Builder arrested for selling 2 flats to 150 buyers in Virar

A Bengaluru-based builder having residential projects in Virar was arrested for allegedly selling flats to multiple buyers and cheating them to the tune of over Rs 30 crore. According to a TOI, report Raju Sulire, director of Mandar Housing Private Limited was arrested from Bengaluru by the crime unit 3 of the Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) Commissionerate. His accomplices Avinash Dhole, Vipul Patil, Allahudin Shaikh, Yusuf Khotwala and others are absconding. The firm has residential housing projects in Virar and Nalasopara.The cheating of over 150 prospective customers took place between 2011 and 2018. Complaints of cheating were registered with the Arnala police in Virar (west).

The crime unit while investigating unsolved cases got down to track the prime suspect Sulire. The accused claimed to offer flats at below market value rates.The accused men showed flats to prospective buyers and even got the sales agreements done. Investigations revealed that a flat was sold to multiple buyers. Customers were taken into confidence by promising to pay them interest if possession of flats were delayed.

Police suspect that fake documents and seals were used to construct the residential towers.Cops zeroed in on Sulire, who operated from his home in Bengaluru. A team arrested him from Bengaluru on Thursday. He has been remanded to police custody till November 9 and has been booked for cheating and forgery.

In August, five men, including two developers and two real estate agents from Virar, have been arrested for allegedly constructing 55 residential buildings in the Vasai region by using counterfeit seals of government agencies, including Palghar and Thane collectors, to secure permission for the projects.Virar police senior inspector Rajendra Kamble said the buildings were constructed after getting permission from Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) by submitting forged documents with counterfeit seals. A total of 155 counterfeit seals of collectors, Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) town planning department, the sub-registrar, Mumbai Metropolitan and Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) architects and engineers have been seized from the accused. Forged documents, including letterheads of VVMC and Cidco, had been seized