Four booked for duping policeman of ₹50 lakh

Case filed against three partners of a realty firm and a real estate agent

The Kharghar police have booked four people who promised a flat to a policeman and swindled ₹50 lakh from him.

A case of cheating has been filed against Gopal Thakur, Hasmukh Thakur and Roshan Sheth, partners of Monarch Realty Management Services Company; and real estate agent Somnath Landage.

The complaint was filed by police inspector Pramod Bhovate, a resident of Sector 20 in Kharghar, who is posted with the Mumbai Police’s special branch. In 2011, while Mr. Bhovate was with the Navi Mumbai Police, he sold his flat in Dadar. He then bought a flat in Green Heritage building in Kharghar through Mr. Landage.

In 2013, Mr. Landage promised to get him a one BHK from Monarch Builders at Sukapur in Panvel for ₹25 lakh. The policeman then paid ₹20 lakh in cash and gave a cheque of ₹5 lakh to Monarch Realty. The firm gave him an undated cheque of ₹25 lakh to win his trust. Later, Mr. Landage convinced Mr. Bhovate to spend another ₹25 lakh to buy a flat by the same builder.

In 2014, the firm told Mr. Bhovate that the construction of the flats he had booked was stalled. and signed an MoU to give him a 2BHK flat on the 14th floor of the 14-storey Monarch Brookfield building in Kalamboli. Later, Mr. Bhovate learnt that only 10 floors of the building had been constructed. He then demanded possession of the flat.

“When the firm refused to give him possession of the flat or return his money, he approached us,” senior police inspector Shatrughna Mali said.