Mumbai News: Builders Booked For ₹6.08 Crore Real Estate Fraud In Dadar - Same Flat Sold To 2 Buyers Using Forged Papers

Mumbai: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police has registered a criminal case against two prominent builders — Sushil Kothari and Rajendra Kothari, partners of R.A. Associates — for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 6.08 crore by fraudulently selling the same flat to two different parties using forged documents.

According to the FIR, the complainant, 71-year-old Pawan Kumar Arya, a resident of Orbit Arya Building off Napeansea Road, jointly runs multiple businesses with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law under the name of Arya Ship Industries Pvt. Ltd. with its offce at Mittal Court, Nariman Point.

According to the police, Arya entered into an agreement with R.A. Associates on July 18, 2014, to purchase a premium flat — No. 3101 on the 31st floor of B-Wing, R.A. Residency in Dadar (East). The deal, including four parking slots, was valued at Rs 6.08 crore. On the day of signing, Arya paid Rs 5.47 crore via cheque drawn on Allahabad Bank’s Fort branch.

Arya was promised possession by June 30, 2018, but the flat was never delivered. When he insisted on early delivery, the Kotharis demanded the balance amount of Rs 67.80 lakhs, which Arya paid via RTGS between October 4 and November 3, 2022. On November 5, 2022, Arya received possession of the flat along with a confirmation letter from the developers.

The fraud came to light in June 2023, when Arya checked the online property registration records and discovered that the same flat had been registered under the names of Navinchandra Devaraj Dedhia, Phorum Rajiv Dedhia, and Rajiv Navinchandra Dedhia.

On October 10, 2024, Arya filed a complaint alleging that the Kothari duo fraudulently resold the flat he had already purchased. Based on a preliminary investigation, the EOW registered a case last week at Matunga Police Station under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The construction company had allegedly accepted Rs 2.75 crore from the Dedhia family towards the sale of the flat which it had already sold to Arya.

Investigating further, Arya obtained certified documents which revealed that R.A. Associates had sold the flat to the Dedhias through Rajendra Kothari, who falsely stated that the 2014 agreement with Arya had been cancelled. Shockingly, he found evidence that the original cancellation note had been tampered by using correction fluid (whitener).

When Arya confronted the Kotharis they reportedly stated that they had to sell the flat due to financial losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and promised to settle the matter with the Dedhias. But they took no corrective legal action.

Following an initial inquiry, a case was registered at Matunga Police Station under Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 340(2), 61(2), and 3(5), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, which pertain to cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, and document falsification.