Mumbai: The Borivali Police have arrested Arvind Prabhakar Kulkarni for allegedly duping a man under the pretense of securing a MHADA flat. The arrest came seven months after the case was filed. His daughter, Renuka Arvind Kulkarni, who is a co-accused in the case, is still on the run. The court has remanded the accused to police custody.
The complainant, Harsha Sakharam Mendadkar, a manager at a private company and a resident of Gorai, Borivali, was lured into the scam by Arvind Kulkarni and his daughter. The accused duo claimed to have influential connections in MHADA and offered to help Mendadkar purchase a flat as an investment. They promised that the flat could later be sold for a substantial profit.
To convince Mendadkar, the accused showed him a MHADA building in Borivali, claiming they could get him a flat for ₹55 lakh. They even promised assistance in securing a home loan. Trusting them, Mendadkar paid ₹9 lakh to the father-daughter duo between June and July 2021. The accused assured him that he would receive an allotment letter soon. However, they repeatedly delayed the process with false excuses.
After several months of delay, Mendadkar became suspicious and approached the MHADA office to verify the claim. It was revealed that the Kulkarnis had no connections with MHADA, and no officials knew them. It became clear that they had fabricated the claims solely to deceive and swindle money.
For four years, the accused kept giving false assurances without returning the money. When Mendadkar demanded a refund, they continued to evade him. Eventually, he lodged a complaint at the Borivali Police Station, prompting the police to register a case of fraud and embezzlement.
Arvind Kulkarni had been absconding for seven months but was arrested by the police two days ago. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to the crime. On Monday, he was produced before the court, which remanded him to police custody. The police are now investigating whether the Kulkarni duo duped more people using a similar modus operandi. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to trace and arrest Renuka Kulkarni, who remains absconding.
