Vasai-Virar housing scam: Builders lured by house-of-cards conman booked

The Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation, fearing action from the government, on Saturday filed a complaint against 21 developers involved in 25 of the 55 projects in the alleged housing scam. Police said the developers will now be questioned to determine whether they knew about the documents being forged by mastermind Prashant Patil and his gang.

The 25 structures are at these locations - Narangi Phata, Sahkar Nagar, Jivdani Road in Virar East; Evershine City in Vasai East; and Umelman in Vasai West.

In the first week of August, the Virar police busted the Rs 3,000-crore housing scam with the arrest of five accused - including the mastermind, Prashant Patil - who had forged documents for the construction of residential apartments in the Vasai-Virar-Nalasopara area.

Swami Samarth apartments in Vasai Rd West, is one of the 55 illegal buildings. Pic/Hanif Patel

Last week, police questioned VVCMC officials under whose watch these alleged unauthorised buildings mushroomed. By the second week of August, only three developers had been booked in three FIRs registered in the case. However, the VVCMC, fearing a rap from the government, according to sources, scrambled through files over 24 hours and lodged a police complaint on Saturday.

2 more FIRs

Two more FIRs were registered and 21 more developers were booked. These FIRs are filed at three different police stations, with officers now planning to question the developers on their role in the alleged scam. Police now want to know whether the developers were aware of the existence of fake construction certificates and other counterfeit government agency approval documents, said a senior officer.

Moreover, Senior Inspector Rajendra Kamble of Virar police station said, "We have sent letters to the 27 patpedhi banks that gave loans to the buyers at 11 per cent to 12 per cent rate of interest for the purchase of flats in these 55 buildings. All patpedhi banks have to produce the loan documents at the police station. We will check on the basis of which documents they sanctioned the loan."

6 booked at Waliv

Waliv police filed one FIR on Saturday against six individuals, including developers, builders and the Patil gang. Within the Valiv area, the Patil gang is believed to have constructed approximately six illegal buildings using forged documents. They allegedly collaborated with landowner Chandu Vijay Patil, a resident of Gokhivare in Vasai East, to construct these six illegal buildings in Gokhivare, Achole Road, and Evershine City of Vasai East.

The police have pressed charges against Mahesh Construction, Super Construction, Savera Construction and Developer, Avadh Builder and Developer, and SS Builder, along with their respective owners.

The Manikpur police lodged an FIR against the builder and developer of Shree Swami Samarth apartments at Umelman in Vasai West. Those charged are landowner Dipesh Maonohar Mhatre and developer Sandip Bhaurao Landge.

The Virar police have so far charged 21 builders and developers for unauthorised construction of 18 buildings. In Virar Ear, the cops have identified these apartments as being illegal - Vakratund, Om Devkrupa Society, Shree Krishna, Shree Krupa, Namo Jivdani Mata, Sai Shraddha, Vaibhav Laxmi, Hira, Jivdani Sadan, Jay Jivdani, Shalini Sobha, Dwarka, Jivdani Archana and Vaishanavi.