Mhada has just started selling forms for its affordable housing scheme meant for the economically weaker sections at Malvani in Malad. But in the private market, the 870 flats are already up for sale. While those in need of the flats are queuing up outside HDFC Bank counters to apply for the 180 sq ft flats available for Rs4 lakh, private brokers and estate agents have begun to market these flats at higher rates.
One such advertisement was printed in the classified section of a leading city tabloid last Saturday.The advertisement read: ‘1 RK - 4.3 lakh, near Jankalyan Nagar, Malvani, Malad (West)’. It did not specify that these were Mhada flats. When contacted, the broker first tried to market the property as any other. However, when this reporter revealed his identity, the broker said that his firm’s job was assisting people to fill up the forms. Nothing of this sort was mentioned in the advertisement though.
It is not just newspapers, advertisements marketing the Mhada flats have been pasted on railway trains also. Mhada vigilance chief said his department was hearing such a complaint for the first time. He said he will look into the matter. Mhada board member Krishna Hegde warned people against being taken for a ride by brokers and agents.
“We have time and again warned people about touts.”
Located at Jankalyan Nagar in Malvani, the one-room-kitchen houses were constructed by the state housing board (Mhada) to provide affordable accommodation for the ‘aam aadmi’ — people from the weaker sections who find it difficult to own a house in the city. Private selling of these flats is illegal, and they can only be allotted on the basis of a lottery by Mhada.
One such advertisement was printed in the classified section of a leading city tabloid last Saturday.The advertisement read: ‘1 RK - 4.3 lakh, near Jankalyan Nagar, Malvani, Malad (West)’. It did not specify that these were Mhada flats. When contacted, the broker first tried to market the property as any other. However, when this reporter revealed his identity, the broker said that his firm’s job was assisting people to fill up the forms. Nothing of this sort was mentioned in the advertisement though.
It is not just newspapers, advertisements marketing the Mhada flats have been pasted on railway trains also. Mhada vigilance chief said his department was hearing such a complaint for the first time. He said he will look into the matter. Mhada board member Krishna Hegde warned people against being taken for a ride by brokers and agents.
“We have time and again warned people about touts.”
Located at Jankalyan Nagar in Malvani, the one-room-kitchen houses were constructed by the state housing board (Mhada) to provide affordable accommodation for the ‘aam aadmi’ — people from the weaker sections who find it difficult to own a house in the city. Private selling of these flats is illegal, and they can only be allotted on the basis of a lottery by Mhada.
One more held in Mhada plot scam
The Santa Cruz police on Monday night arrested a fourth person for allegedly duping prospective land-buyers of crores of rupees by promising them plots in Malwani, Malad, belonging to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada).
Devendra Chandrakant Kanani, who has an office in Gorai, has been accused of forging land documents.
The Mhada vigilance department, along with the Santa Cruz police, busted the racket by arresting three estate agents - Yusuf Mohammad Sailet, Haidar Kasam Ali and Sameer Tanveer, alias Sameer Dadhi - over the last few days, after an Andheri resident complained that Sailet had duped him of over Rs6 lakh by promising him a Mhada plot.
According to the police, Kanani made bogus documents for three agents.
Devendra Chandrakant Kanani, who has an office in Gorai, has been accused of forging land documents.
The Mhada vigilance department, along with the Santa Cruz police, busted the racket by arresting three estate agents - Yusuf Mohammad Sailet, Haidar Kasam Ali and Sameer Tanveer, alias Sameer Dadhi - over the last few days, after an Andheri resident complained that Sailet had duped him of over Rs6 lakh by promising him a Mhada plot.
According to the police, Kanani made bogus documents for three agents.
Woman forges Mhada flat papers, dupes army major
If you think that crooks acting as housing agents can only fool uneducated house hunters, here is a classic case which will prove you wrong.
A well-educated army major was recently duped by a woman who, posing as a real estate agent, tried a sell him a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) flat in Mumbai by forging papers.
According to Jawahar Singh, chief vigilance officer of Mhada, one Poonam Khanna, 38, who stays in Juhu, had earlier sold one flat in Dwarka in New Delhi to one Ram Bhatia (name changed to protect identity).
“After this transaction in July this year, Poonam offered two Mhada flats in Mumbai to Bhatia’s son who is a major in the Indian army and is posted in Jammu,” said Singh.
He further added that since the first transaction between Poonam and Bhatia had gone smoothly, the Bhatia family believed the woman and decided to purchase the flat in Mumbai as well. The woman, according to sources in Mhada, is the niece of a famous Bollywood comedian.
“Poonam told the Bhatia family that the cost of the flat is Rs25 lakh and the army major should pay Rs5 lakh in advance. Bhatia senior also signed an agreement with the estate agent,” added Singh.
As per the agreement, if the Bhatia family were not to go ahead with the sale, Poonam had the right to keep the money. However, if she failed to sell the flat, she would pay back a sum of Rs10 lakh to Bhatia junior.
“Trouble began when Poonam started ignoring the major’s calls from Jammu. The major rushed to the Mumbai and made a complaint with the vigilance department,” Singh said adding that vigilance officers then went to Poonam’s house in Juhu and brought her to Mhada office.
When Mhada vigilance officers asked her about the flat documents, she admitted she had made bogus documents which she gave to the major. The case has been registered under sec 465,467,468, 471 and 471 of the IPC.
A well-educated army major was recently duped by a woman who, posing as a real estate agent, tried a sell him a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) flat in Mumbai by forging papers.
According to Jawahar Singh, chief vigilance officer of Mhada, one Poonam Khanna, 38, who stays in Juhu, had earlier sold one flat in Dwarka in New Delhi to one Ram Bhatia (name changed to protect identity).
“After this transaction in July this year, Poonam offered two Mhada flats in Mumbai to Bhatia’s son who is a major in the Indian army and is posted in Jammu,” said Singh.
He further added that since the first transaction between Poonam and Bhatia had gone smoothly, the Bhatia family believed the woman and decided to purchase the flat in Mumbai as well. The woman, according to sources in Mhada, is the niece of a famous Bollywood comedian.
“Poonam told the Bhatia family that the cost of the flat is Rs25 lakh and the army major should pay Rs5 lakh in advance. Bhatia senior also signed an agreement with the estate agent,” added Singh.
As per the agreement, if the Bhatia family were not to go ahead with the sale, Poonam had the right to keep the money. However, if she failed to sell the flat, she would pay back a sum of Rs10 lakh to Bhatia junior.
“Trouble began when Poonam started ignoring the major’s calls from Jammu. The major rushed to the Mumbai and made a complaint with the vigilance department,” Singh said adding that vigilance officers then went to Poonam’s house in Juhu and brought her to Mhada office.
When Mhada vigilance officers asked her about the flat documents, she admitted she had made bogus documents which she gave to the major. The case has been registered under sec 465,467,468, 471 and 471 of the IPC.
Maharashtra govt to probe allotment of Mhada flats to legislators
The Maharashtra government will conduct an enquiry to ascertain whether present and former legislators were allotted Mhada flats in violation of the rule that bars those already possessing houses in Mumbai from applying for government accomodation.
"We will enquire if any minister or legislator has been allotted flats in Mhada HIG scheme in suburban Mumbai despite their possessing a house in the city," minister of state for housing, Sachin Ahir said.
The government will issue show cause notices to those found guilty, Ahir said.
The minister's statement comes a day after the government called off a ceremony where the allottees were to be handed over keys to the flats by chief minister Ashok Chavan and his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal.
Media reports have alleged that several among the 200 odd sitting and former legislators and ministers, who were allotted flats in a housing society in Versova by state housing body Mhada, already had houses in Mumbai. The Mhada rules prohibit those already possessing houses in the city from applying for flats built by the state government undertaking.
The reports said that the allotments could be cancelled if the allotee legislators or their spouses had houses in their names.
"We will enquire if any minister or legislator has been allotted flats in Mhada HIG scheme in suburban Mumbai despite their possessing a house in the city," minister of state for housing, Sachin Ahir said.
The government will issue show cause notices to those found guilty, Ahir said.
The minister's statement comes a day after the government called off a ceremony where the allottees were to be handed over keys to the flats by chief minister Ashok Chavan and his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal.
Media reports have alleged that several among the 200 odd sitting and former legislators and ministers, who were allotted flats in a housing society in Versova by state housing body Mhada, already had houses in Mumbai. The Mhada rules prohibit those already possessing houses in the city from applying for flats built by the state government undertaking.
The reports said that the allotments could be cancelled if the allotee legislators or their spouses had houses in their names.
Man held for cheating people by promising flats at cheaper rates
A thirty two-year-old man, who posed as an employee of a private bank, was arrested by Andheri police on Saturday, for cheating several people. The accused, Sanjay Pande, used to take cheques in the bank's name from the victim by offering to procure auctioned flats at lower rates. He would later erase the bank's name and deposit the cheque in his personal account. The police estimate that the fraud could run into crores of rupees and that there is a possibility that some bank employees may also be involved.
According to the police, the complainant, Dharmesh Pandya, 40, a real estate investor and resident of Goregaon, filed a complaint last week and stated in his complaint that he had met the accused through a common friend in October 2010.
"Pande posed as a wealth manager. He told me that he could offer flats which were confiscated from defaulters and about to be auctioned. He also told me about four flats in Nalasopara which had been confiscated by the bank. I was interested, so I gave him three separate cheques worth Rs1.5 lakh each," said Pandya.
"I also gave him a cheque for Rs18 lakh and Rs14lakh respectively for the auction. The cheques were in the bank's name. I paid a total of Rs38 lakh" said Pandya.
"After we negotiated per flat cost for Rs5 lakh, after which the collective cost was Rs20 lakh but I had already paid Rs38 lakh. I asked for a refund of Rs18 lakh. Initially, Pande assured me that he would give the refund but then he started avoiding me. Later I found that Pande had deposited the cheques in his personal account" added Pandya.
Another complainant, Ashok Musle, gave Pande a cheque of Rs3.5 lakh for settling his car loan. But he allegedly deposited the cheque in his personal account. Musle said that after few months he found that Rs6.63 lakh had also been debited from his account.
"We have arrested Pande on the charges of fraud and forgery, following the complaints against him. Investigations are on" said senior police inspector, Shivajirao Deshmukh, Andheri police station.
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