Mumbai: Builders mortgage senior citizen's flat without her knowledge

The Tilak Nagar police, on Saturday, registered a case of cheating and forgery against some builders, after a complaint was registered on an online public grievance redressal forum, of a senior citizen being duped.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Sakarben Cheddah (72), who owns an apartment in Chembur, was allegedly duped by Suresh Enterprises, who mortgaged Cheddah's flat to a finance company without her knowledge.

"The builder, Ramesh Seth of Suresh Enterprises, had given the senior citizen a no objection certificate and never informed Cheddah that he had mortaged the flat and taken a loan. We scrutinised documents from at least five different agencies and found Cheddah was not the borrower and that the finance company had given a housing loan to Seth and his partners, who had defaulted in repaying the dues, the latter's account was classified as a non-performing asset," Vijay Khaire, senior police inspector, Tilak Nagar police, was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

A couple of years after Cheddah had purchased the flat, officials of GIC Housing Finance informed her they had to seize the flat since the developer had defaulted on bank loan of Rs 29 lakh.

In January, people from the finance company along with cops came to evict the family, with a court order. Indian Express further reported that Cheddah wrote an email complaint on January 18. An FIR was registered a couple of days back.

The builders, Ramesh Seth and his partners, have moved the sessions court for anticipatory bail. The matter will be heard on October 17.