61 People Fall Victim to ₹2.41 Crore MHADA Flat Scam in Mumbai

NAVI MUMBAI: The Rabale police have registered a criminal case against three persons for allegedly duping at least 61 people of ₹2.41 crore under the pretext of giving them MHADA flats at concessional rates in Mumbai. The case was lodged by property consultant Pradeep Chandrakant Dahale (59), alleging that he, his colleague, and 61 clients were defrauded by three accused identified as Rupesh Chaudhary (deceased), Nikki Chaudhary, and Prabhakar Shetty.

According to the complaint, Dahale, along with his colleague Priti Kamble, was approached in January 2022 by an acquaintance, Guddu Shaikh, who introduced them to Prabhakar Shetty. Shetty claimed he could facilitate the purchase of cheaply priced flats in MHADA projects, including in locations like Powai, Wadala, and Worli.

Dahale said that Shetty then introduced them to Rupesh Chaudhary and Nikki Chaudhary, who allegedly posed as senior MHADA officials. They reportedly assured Dahale and Kamble that flats could be acquired at below-market rates— ₹15 lakh for a 1BHK and ₹40 lakh for a 2 BHK—with a promise that these could later be sold at market rates of up to ₹50 lakh. “Nikki Chaudhary is the wife of the prime accused Rupesh Chaudhary, while another accused, Prabhakar Shetty, has already been arrested by the Economic Offences Wing in a related case. Nikki is currently absconding,” said the investigating officer.

Based on the assurances, Dahale and Kamble approached their clients and collected advance payments. In sum, they claim to have paid ₹2.41 crore to Rupesh and Nikki Chaudhary and Prabhakar Shetty, with an additional ₹1.25 crore paid later which was returned. Subsequently, when no flats were delivered, they followed up repeatedly with the scamsters but the remaining funds were not refunded.

The fraud came to light when Dahale and Kamble visited the MHADA office in Mumbai. “It was confirmed that the offer letters and approved flat lists provided by the accused were fake, and that no official named Nikki Chaudhary held a senior position at MHADA,” said the officer.

A case has been registered under Sections 318 (4), 204, 336 (2), 338, 336 (3), 336 (2) and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).