Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch has arrested the Managing Director (MD) of a real estate firm for allegedly duping as many as 35 persons of Rs 4 crores on the pretext of providing them flats in Bhubaneswar.
“The accused person has been identified as Deepak Kumar Chhotray of Delanga in the Puri district. He has been forwarded to the Designated Court under OPID, Cuttack today,” the EOW said in a press note.
According to EOW, a victim, Anil Kumar Panda had lodged a written complaint alleging that he along with 34 others was cheated by the MD of builder Company M/s GLF Infratech Pvt. Ltd. that promised them to provide plots in its residential projects at Patrapada Mouza in Bhubaneswar.
After collecting different amounts from the prospective buyers, the real estate firm MD informed the 35 prospective buyers that land could not be arranged at Patrapada, and requested them to take flats at Gadakana Mouza. When the buyers agreed to it, the accused MD collected Rs.12 lakhs from each of the prospective buyers during 2016-19 to provide flats. But, to date, the accused Company has not provided any plot/flat to the victim buyers nor did it return the invested amount, the EOW said.
EOW’s investigation revealed that the arrested accused MD Deepak Kumar Chhotray, without having any land falsely promised 35 prospective buyers to provide them with plots/flats at Patrapada in the year 2016. Accordingly, an MoU was signed by the accused builder and the buyers. After collecting considerable amounts, the accused MD made the buyers agree to settle in its new project at Gadakana as no land could be arranged at Patrapada village. Once, the buyers agreed to accommodate the Company’s new project, the accused MD collected Rs.12 lakhs each from intending buyers by the year 2019.
But, till today, the accused Company and its MD neither provided any flat/plot nor returned the invested amount to the buyers who are running from pillar to post to get back their invested amount. Even, no land has been acquired by the builder for the construction of residential flats till today, the EOW said.
The builder Company and its MD cheated more than Rs.4 Crores from the intending buyers by executing false documents. Many incriminating documents including the money receipts and agreements have been seized from the possession of the arrested MD Deepak Chhotray. The investigation of the case is on, the EOW added.
