Archive · 28 Oct 2025
Two Booked for Cheating Senior Citizen Couple of Rs 70 Lakh for Flat
Imagine a grandpa and grandma who wanted to buy an apartment for their kids.
A man who sells houses, and his friend who said he worked with a government housing office, told them they could get a nice apartment for a good price.
They even showed the couple the apartment!
The couple trusted them and gave them a lot of money, Rs 70 lakh, in parts.
But after waiting a long time, the apartment wasn't theirs, and the men stopped answering their calls.
The grandpa and grandma realized they had been tricked and told the police.
Now, the police are looking into it and have charged the two men.
Two individuals, an estate agent and his associate, have been booked by MIDC police for allegedly cheating a senior citizen couple.
The couple was defrauded of Rs 70 lakh on the false promise of securing a flat in Andheri through supposed MHADA connections.
The accused, Arvind Lambe (estate agent) and Avinash Kumar, allegedly showed the couple a flat and took payment in installments.
After receiving Rs 70 lakh, the accused failed to provide the flat or initiate further paperwork, and became unreachable.
The senior citizen couple, after realizing they were cheated, registered a case with the police.
- Who
- Avinash Kumar and Arvind Lambe, an estate agent and his associate, have been booked.
- What
- Two individuals allegedly cheated a senior citizen couple out of Rs 70 lakh by promising them a flat in Andheri which they never received.
- When
- The complaint was registered recently; the events unfolded from October 2023 to early 2024.
- Where
- The alleged incident occurred in Andheri, with the police case registered at MIDC police station.
- Why
- The accused allegedly pretended to have connections with MHADA officials to facilitate the fraudulent sale of a flat and pocket the money.
Accused
Complainant
Flat Allotment and Payment
Accused
The accused estate agent and his associate, posing as an MHADA official, claimed they could secure a flat in Andheri for Rs 1.70 crore, charging 2% brokerage.
Complainant
The senior citizen couple paid Rs 70 lakh in installments based on the promise of a flat, after viewing the property and signing an MoU.
Lack of Progress and Response
Accused
The accused stalled on paperwork and became unresponsive after receiving the money.
Complainant
After 8-10 months of no progress and unresponsiveness from the accused, the complainant realized they had been cheated and sought the return of their money.
- Amount Cheated
- Rs 70 lakh
- Alleged Flat Cost
- Rs 1.70 crore
- Location
- Andheri
- Accused
- Avinash Kumar (estate agent's associate) and Arvind Lambe (estate agent)
- Complainant
- Deepak Tudvekar (62) and his wife
- Date of Introduction
- October 2023
- Date of Meeting with Second Suspect
- Early 2024