Retired Govt Official Loses Rs. 3.5 Lakh in Housing Scam

A real estate company is suspected of cheating a retired Central Government officer out of more than Rs 3.5 lakh in a home project on Barakhamba Road that was abruptly shut down. Manoj Anand, a former employee of the Department of Telecommunications, submitted a complaint, which led to the filing of a formal complaint.

Anand reserved a 300-square-yard site when the company started the home project in 2004. Anand and other investors were left in a difficult situation when the project was abruptly shut down after over 20 years and the land was purportedly given to the company's affiliate companies.

In the complaint, Anand explained, “I applied for the plot in 2004 by paying an initial amount of Rs 1.5 lakh. Over the years, I made additional payments as per the company’s demands, totaling Rs 3.56 lakh. This included Rs 2.06 lakh after the company claimed it had received a ‘no objection certificate’ from the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA).”

According to the FIR, the project was abruptly taken down from the company's website under "upcoming projects" until 2023, which alarmed investors. Anand added that despite his continuous attempts to get in touch with the company, he never got a definitive answer about the project's progress.

“The company refused to provide any clarity and phone calls to its office went unanswered or were redirected to a fax machine,” the FIR stated.

A senior police officer says, “We have registered an FIR and are examining the financial transactions and land ownership details. Representatives of the accused company will be summoned for questioning soon”.

Similar complaints have also been raised by other investors. Jitender Thakur, Mohinder Singh, Manoj Chaudhary, and Sandeep, four more victims, have accused the company of utilizing money obtained from potential homebuyers to transfer the land to its affiliated companies.

One complainant revealed, “Approximately 2,000 plots were booked between 2004 and 2005 and the company collected around Rs. 50 crore from homebuyers. Yet, the land was sold to its associates between 2014 and 2019.”

Anand expressed his concern by saying, “We trusted them for two decades, only to be left with nothing. We demand strict action against those responsible.”