Mumbai cop promises cheap flat, dupes woman

MUMBAI: The city crime branch arrested a police constable, Nitin Gaikwad, for allegedly duping a woman under the pretext of availing cheap houses under the Mhada scheme. The police have recovered Rs 5 lakh from Gaikwad who is from the protection branch. He has also served as bodyguard of former MLA Sachin Ahire.
Police are likely to arrest Gaikwad’s associate Sachin Dhuri. The court has directed police to give Dhuri 72 hours’ notice before arresting him.
In her complaint lodged at the Byculla police station, homemaker Samina Lahorwala said she met Dhuri while looking for an affordable flat in 2013. She claimed that Dhuri told her that has “contacts” in the housing board and could help her get an 1BHK measuring 262 sqft in Mazgaon for Rs 48 lakh.
Lahorwala and her two of her relatives arranged the money and gave it to Dhuri, who allegedly gave her bogus Mhada allotment letters, sale deed and the power of attorney of a flat in a Mhada building in Mazgaon, but the documents were not registered. “Dhuri kept delaying the registration, and finally introduced her to Gaikwad, who claimed to get the documents registered in her name and get possession of the flat. But later he too kept avoiding her,” said an officer.
During investigation, it transpired that it was a conspiracy by Gaikwad and Dhuri and the police registered an FIR. When the police started looking for Gaikwad, they were shocked to find that he was reported missing since 2015—he had gone on on sick leave and when the JJ Hospital board asked him to appear before the medical board, he didn’t turn up.
The crime branch laid a trap and arrested Gaikwad on September 1. Police are trying to find out if duo have cheated other people too.