Mumbai, April 3: The Mumbai police recently arrested a history-sheeter for allegedly taking Rs 88 lakh from a senior citizen on the pretext of selling a flat in Dadar. Police officials said that the accused cheated the victim by posing as the owner of the building in Dadar. The accused has been identified as Vishnu Mahipat Jadhav from Kandivli. The police arrested Jadhav last week.

According to a report in the Times of India, the accused has been booked on charges of cheating and forgery. An official also said the accused is suspected of duping several people with the fraudulent flat sale. After the incident, the police asked other victims to come forward. The official said that Jadhav duped Vinay Wategaonkar (63), who was looking to buy a flat in central Mumbai. Online Fraud in Mumbai: Woman Duped of Rs 80 Lakh by Fraudsters Posing as Executives of Courier Firm, Government Agencies; FIR Registered Against Unidentified Persons in Vashi.

The victim was introduced to Jadhav by a real estate agent in 2015. Back then, the accused presented himself as the owner of a building on Ram Maruti Road in Dadar. He told Wategaonkar that the building was about to be taken up for redevelopment. The accused offered Wategaonkar a 407 sqft flat in the building and promised 30 percent extra space post-redevelopment.

The accused struck a deal of Rs 88 lakh and insisted on cash payments. After this, the victim transferred Rs 23 lakh into Jadhav's bank account and paid the remaining cash in instalments. When there was no progress in the redevelopment project by 2018, the victim asked Jadhav about the sale agreement and the flat's handover. However, Jadhav promised him about the redevelopment but did not initiate the same. Cyber Scam in Mumbai: Senior Citizen From Mulund Loses Rs 8.6 Lakh to Fraudster While Trying To Buy US Dollars, Case Registered.

After making a few enquiries, Wategaonkar learned that Jadhav took money from three to four other individuals on similar promises. He also discovered that the accused had a history of fraudulent activities. Last year, Jadhav was arrested for cheating a gym trainer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 03, 2024 03:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).