Fraud Alert: Dubious Ad Claims Jesuit Property Behind SRK’s Mannat for Sale

A viral advertisement offering a property directly behind Shah Rukh Khan’s residence, Mannat, for Rs 900 crore has triggered a police complaint and allegations of possible fraud. The property in question is Retreat House, a landmark Jesuit-owned campus in Bandra that Church authorities insist is not on the market.

Senior church authorities have strongly denied that the 2.16-acre property is on the market. Father (Dr) Frazer Mascarenhas, former principal of St Xavier’s College and a Jesuit priest associated with the Society of Jesus Bombay Province, described the advertisement as fraudulent and clarified that the matter was under review.

Adding to the mystery, a broker linked to the listing admitted that his firm had posted the advertisement but claimed it was a mistake. “Yes, we did post the advertisement, but it was a mistake, and we have taken it down,” said Nilesh Dhuria, a broker associated with Yeshua Enterprises, the firm named in the advertisement. Dhuria declined to explain how the property came to be listed for sale.

The advertisement, which circulated widely across social media and WhatsApp groups, invited prospective buyers to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), client profile, and proof of funds before any meeting could be arranged. The property at the center of the controversy is Retreat House, a sprawling campus overlooking Bandstand and located directly behind Mannat. For decades, it has served as a retreat and reflection center for Jesuit priests and members of the Catholic community.

The listing quickly drew attention in Mumbai’s real-estate circles because the property sits in one of the city’s most expensive neighborhoods. When asked when the firm realized there was a problem, Dhuria said, “We started receiving calls on Wednesday, and that’s when we realized it.”

The circulation of the advertisement prompted a formal complaint to the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, by social activist Advocate Godfrey Pimenta of the Watchdog Foundation. Pimenta urged authorities to investigate the source of the advertisement and determine whether it was intended to mislead potential buyers. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, he said concerns escalated rapidly after people in the real-estate sector questioned whether such a prominent Church property could legitimately be available for sale.

The controversy has also revived memories of previous instances where Church-owned lands in Mumbai were allegedly projected as redevelopment or sale opportunities without the knowledge of the institutions concerned. Several community representatives have demanded an investigation into whether genuine property documents were used to lend credibility to the purported sale offer.

Melwyn Fernandes, Secretary of the Association of Concerned Christians, said a similar incident had occurred a few years ago when a fake advertisement offering the Church-owned Clergy Home property, valued at nearly Rs 3,000 crore, appeared in leading newspapers. “Now, a similar attempt appears to have surfaced involving Retreat House, where certain local real-estate agents are allegedly circulating genuine property documents but with fabricated ownership details,” Fernandes said. He urged police to register an FIR and conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter.

Property records reviewed by Mumbai Mirror indicate that Retreat House is not a privately owned real-estate asset but a charitable property held under a trust-linked arrangement. The records show that trustees function as custodians and cannot independently dispose of the land. The property is also subject to conditions restricting sale, transfer, mortgage, redevelopment, or commercial exploitation without approvals from competent authorities. Any future transaction would require multiple levels of permissions and regulatory clearances, making the claims in the viral advertisement appear highly questionable.

Church authorities maintain that Retreat House is not for sale, while activists and community leaders continue to seek answers about how the Rs 900-crore listing surfaced and who was behind it.