Mumbai: Malad Police Uncover Property Fraud Racket, Save Homebuyers from Losing Lakhs

What appeared to be a dream deal on a “cheap flat” turned into a nightmare for several homebuyers after Malad Police busted a well-organized property fraud racket. The gang cheated victims by offering under-construction flats at throwaway prices, using forged documents and online platforms to lure unsuspecting buyers.

The police have arrested five accused in the case, while the alleged mastermind is still at large. The accused used popular real estate portals such as Housing.com, NoBroker, and social media platforms to post attractive advertisements offering flats worth around Rs 1 crore for just Rs 60–70 lakh.

According to police, the gang’s biggest strength was the authenticity of its paperwork. Investigations revealed that one of the accused illegally procured flat-related documents from the registrar’s office, digitally replaced the real owner’s photograph with his own, and posed as the legitimate flat owner. “The documents appeared absolutely genuine. Once the buyer paid the advance amount, the accused would disappear,” a police officer said.

In one such case, a 31-year-old complainant, Navaldev Narayan Rajput, a resident of Malad East, was allegedly cheated of Rs 30 lakh. The accused showed him Flat No. 1301 at Shubhashree Orchard, Zakaria Road, Malad West, claiming it belonged to one Poptlal. The deal took place between November 4 and December 23, 2025, and an FIR was registered on December 29, 2025. The case has been registered at Malad Police Station (CR No. 943/2025) under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including provisions related to cheating, forgery, impersonation, criminal conspiracy, and misappropriation.

Modus Operandi The Police said the gang operated with a clear division of roles: - Kasim Rasheed Khan alias Amit Thakur (absconding), the alleged mastermind, and his brother Mohammed Rafique Rashid Khan photographed under-construction buildings and uploaded fake advertisements online. - Deepak Kirit Shah, a broker, acted as the main contact person and gained buyers’ confidence. - Nimesh Anil Mavani impersonated the real owner using forged Aadhaar and PAN cards. - Hitesh Ravindra Kedari and Rajesh Bisul Prasad provided bank accounts to receive advance payments. Once the money was credited, it was withdrawn, distributed among the gang members, and the accused went underground.

Arrests and Wider Network During the investigation, police tracked bank transactions made to an ASP Infra account and detained account holder Hitesh Kedari. Further questioning and technical analysis led to the arrest of the accused from Mira Road, Borivali, and Kandivli.

The arrested accused are: - Hitesh Ravindra Kedari, 30 (delivery boy) - Rajesh Bisul Prasad, 37 (delivery boy) - Nimesh Anil Mavani, 49 - Mohammed Rafique Rashid Khan, 38 - Deepak Kirit Shah, 47 (broker) - Rajan Harshad Kakkad, 45

Senior Officers Supervised Probe The arrests were carried out by a team led by API Deepak Raiwade and PSI Niloba Jakkalwad, under the guidance of Additional CP Shashi Kumar Meena, DCP Zone XI Sandeep Jadhav, ACP Prakash Bagal, and the supervision of Senior Inspector Dushyant Chauhan of Malad Police Station.

This operation has not only saved numerous homebuyers from falling prey to this sophisticated fraud but also serves as a warning to the public to be vigilant and verify all documents and transactions thoroughly before making any significant financial commitments.