Nagpur: Five persons, including a Junior Engineer and Tax Collector of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), have been booked by Sadar police for duping a businessman of Rs 1.06crore in a fraudulent land deal.
The accused have been identified as Gopal Bhagwan Gaikwad (37), residing in Rahate Colony; Rahul Harichandra Balbudhe (36) from Koradi Road, Tirupati Nagar; Nilesh Suryabhan Sambhare (42), a resident of Gajanan Society, Wadi; Rupesh Mahadev Thute (38), residing in Kharbi, Raut Nagar; and Govind Rama Waghmare (51) from Ashok Nagar.
Today's Rate
Sat 21 Dec. 2024
Nilesh Sambhare is working as Junior Engineer with NMC while Rupesh Thute is posted as Tax Collector in NMC. The complaint was lodged by Sanjay Sukhdev Gupta (54), a grocer residing in Gol Bazaar, Gaddigodam.
According to Sadar police, the fraud took place between November 2020 and July 2022 when Sanjay Gupta sought to expand his trade and required land. Krishna Thote, an acquaintance, referred him to Govind Waghmare, who claimed to have a broker named Gopal Gaikwad. Together, they facilitated the leasing of two acres of land in Mouza Chikhli, 6,600 sq ft land in Narendra Nagar and 19,200sq ft land in Chhaoni.
The accused, including NMC’s Junior Engineer Sambhare and the Tax Collector Thute, allegedly accepted Rs 41 lakh from Gupta for the Chikhli land lease but failed to deliver. Afterwards, they concocted false claims of providing 6,600 square feet of land in Narendra Nagar on the ring road and extracted an additional Rs 28.10 lakh. The accused then received Rs 37 lakh from Gupta for a promised 19,200 sq ft of space near Nelson Chowk in Chhaoni.
Gupta grew suspicious and discovered that the lease documents were fake after observing the forged signature of the Tehsildar of Nazul Division and the seal of the Collector’s office. Despite Gupta’s demands for a refund, the accused evaded returning the amount. Gupta filed a complaint with the Sadar police after which the accused returned him Rs 7 lakh.
A case under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120 (B) of Indian Penal Code was registered by Sadar police. Further probe is underway.
