Fake Estate Agent & Owner Arrested For Duping Mira Road Woman

Mira Road : The Kashigaon Police have successfully arrested three accused and recovered Rs. 9.5 lakhs of a 36-year-old woman who was duped by gang of fake estate agents and a fake flat owner in Mira Road.

The woman, searching for a flat on a heavy deposit, found a listing on the brokerage-free real estate service provider website 'No Broker' and contacted estate agent Kunal Singh. Singh redirected her to his friend, Shahrukh Ahmed, who showed her a flat at Laxmi Paradise building in Kanakiya and introduced a person as the flat's owner. The woman finalized the flat and paid heavy deposit amount to the person claiming to be the owner. An agreement draft was also sent to her WhatsApp regarding the same.

However, when she tried to contact the agents and owner to take possession of the flat, their phones were switched off. Upon inquiring with the society, she realized that the person to whom she paid heavy deposit amount was not the original owner, and the agent was also fake.

On September 5, 2024, a case was registered against the duo at the Kashigaon Police Station under Sections 318(4), 316(2), 319(2), and 61 of the BNS. The investigation by Police Sub-Inspector Abhijeet Lande of the Crime Detection Unit led to the arrest of trio: Shahrukh Niaz Ahmed (28), Aftaf Mohnujma Alam (43), and Ramesh Gisiwan Sharma (37), all residents of Mira Road.

The money was recovered from the arrested accused, who are serial offenders with multiple cases against them at Dombivli, Mira Road, and Kashimira Police Stations. Another accused, Singh, will be arrested soon as he is still absconding, said a police official.

The Police Commissioner of Mira-Bhayander Vasai Virar Police Commissionerate has appealed to citizens to verify the authenticity of estate agents and flat owners before entering into any transactions, as the police have received numerous complaints of similar frauds.