Mumbai: High-rise tower manager arrested for stealing society funds

Ajay Shah, the accused

The Kandivli police arrested a 63-year-old manager of a high-rise for allegedly siphoning about Rs 3.35 lakh from society funds by forging signatures. The manager, Ajay Shah, was working with Hiranandani Heritage-based Estonia housing society located on SV Road in Kandivli West. The Kandivli police found that Shah had used a similar modus operandi to target high-rise housing societies. In the investigation, police found that the accused also cheated three more societies in the past in Juhu. Hiren Vohra, secretary of Estonia society, had informed the police about the alleged misappropriation of funds by Shah.

According to the police, Shah was involved in multiple cases of cheating high-rise housing societies. After joining a housing society as a manager, Shah would win the trust of members. He allegedly gained the authority to transfer society funds and withdraw money from the bank account of the society. Shah also developed good contacts within the bank to make the transfer of society funds easy.

Estonia housing society, Hiranandani Heritage, Kandivli

A police official said that Shah had joined Estonia society as a manager six months ago. Shah forged the signatures of the society's secretary and treasurer and transferred R3.35 lakh into his bank account on March 14.

Speaking to mid-day, Vohra said, "Shah joined our society in October last year and he is in possession of a bank cheque book and passbook. Our society manager changed the phone numbers to receive alerts from the bank. On April 14, we received information from a woman that Shah had forged signatures of society signing authorities and transferred Rs 3.35 lakh from the society account to his wife's bank account."

A police officer said, "We checked the society account and found that the accused forged signatures of the society and treasurer and transferred money into his wife's bank account. We also found that the accused also cheated two other housing societies in Juhu."

During their investigation, the police learnt that the accused was earlier working at Vaibhav housing society located on Juhu Church Road in Juhu. The society members fired Shah after finding out that he had allegedly cheated them by withdrawing about Rs 3.60 lakh of society funds in multiple transactions. Shah had also worked in Janki Vinay society on Juhu road as a manager in 2022. Shah withdrew about Rs 3.75 lakh of the society funds using the society's cheque book and also transferred the money into the bank account of his wife Pratibha. Shah was produced before the holiday court on Wednesday, which remanded him in four days of police custody.

Rs 3.35L
Sum siphoned from society account