Mumbai man accused of usurping Andheri flat told to vacate it

The building in Andheri

Clarence Pereira, a history-sheeter con artist, has been ordered by the Rent Control Act Court, Konkan division, to vacate an Andheri flat within 30 days. Pereira had attempted to fraudulently claim ownership of the property where his son, Raphael Pereira, had rented it in February last year.

The flat's legal owner is 65-year-old Bharat Patel, who has been struggling to reclaim his 2BHK property. Pereira had been using a fake Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to falsely assert ownership.

Following persistent complaints, the Andheri police registered a First Information Report (FIR) in December last year. Pereira was arrested in June in Goa, where he had been hiding after learning about the new case against him.

The flat's legal owner Bharat Patel

Patel told mid-day, "The Competent Authority VK Puri from the Rent Control Act Court, Konkan division, Mumbai, issued an order on July 18. The order directs Clarence and Raphael Pereira to vacate the property on Sahar Road and return it to me within 30 days. They are also required to pay Rs 70,000 in damages from January 12, 2024."

"I have presented the court order to the Andheri police to assist in reclaiming my property from the Pereira family, who are currently residing in my flat. I request Mumbai police to support the enforcement of this court order," Patel added.

Patel explained, "I rented the flat to Raphael Pereira in February 2023 without knowing his background. For two months, everything was fine, but then he stopped paying rent. Eventually, the entire Pereira family moved into my flat and began telling neighbours that they had purchased the property for Rs 95 lakh."

"I was shocked to discover that Raphael had submitted a fake MoU to the Andheri police. Fortunately, the police identified the documents as fraudulent, leading to the FIR. Once Pereira learned about the new case, he went underground, but after a months-long manhunt, he was arrested in Goa in June," Patel said.

Pereira claimed that he filed a complaint against the father-son duo in court in December 2023 seeking possession of the property. Pereira, known for creating fake documents to defraud people, was previously arrested in 2022 after mid-day exposed him for attempting to seize the bungalow of an elderly woman in Chuim village, Khar.