Malad’s Kurar police have arrested one of the two accused allegedly involved in duping a doctor of Rs 65 lakh by falsely promising him a luxury flat at a discounted rate in the Malad East area.
The accused had been absconding for more than two years. The arrested accused has been identified as 38-year-old Brijesh Kumar Yadav, who was apprehended from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
The police said the second accused, Santosh Yadav alias Sahil, is already lodged in a Madhya Pradesh jail in connection with a similar cheating case.
Modus operandi
The duo allegedly introduced themselves as businessmen and operators of a social welfare organisation — Mahendra Hi-Tech Education and Charitable Trust. They would identify potential victims based on their financial status and lure them with offers for high-profile flats in posh areas at prices far below market rates through loans arranged by their organisation. The accused even took victims for site visits.
After convincing them, they would allegedly demand 35 per cent of the flat’s total value as an advance payment for registration formalities. Once the money was received, the accused would switch off their mobile phones and disappear.
The fraud
According to the complaint, a 33-year-old doctor from Malad East, the accused first came in contact with him through a relative in September 2023. Over time, they gained his confidence by frequently visiting his clinic. Later, the accused offered him a luxury flat in Altamount Tower, Malad East.
Initially, the accused took Rs 25 lakh in cash for registration and later pressured him to pay an additional Rs 40 lakh online to “process the loan”. However, despite collecting Rs 65 lakh over two years, the accused failed to complete the registration and later stopped answering calls. Realising he had been cheated, the doctor approached the police.
The arrest
Police said Yadav frequently visited red-light areas in different cities. Acting on a tip-off, the Kurar police tracked him to a PG room located in a red-light area in Indore and arrested him from there on May 2. He is currently in judicial custody.
