Main person, based on whose version FIRs were registered, was himself arrested in 2016 in a similar scam of over 20 commercial buildings constructed using fake CC and OC
Vijay Gotmare. Pic/Hanif Patel
Forty-five-year-old Vijay Vinod Gotmare, a complainant in one of the three FIRs registered by the Virar police against bogus builders last week after the multi-crore housing scam was exposed, was himself arrested in 2016 in connection with a similar crime. Previously, Gotmare was attached to the property tax department, but for the past one year he has been working as a senior clerk in the encroachment department of the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC).
The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority has begun the process of cancelling RERA registration of all 55 buildings after receiving letters and FIRs from the Virar police. The Rs 3,000-crore scam was possible due to lack of communication and procedures between MahaRERA and the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), officials told mid-day.
Now, the owners have been barred from reselling their litigated homes, which the VVCMC plans to raze soon.
A police source said that the mastermind, Prashant Patil, knew that the online process to seek MahaRERA approval did not involve verification of documents submitted by the builders.
Patil was also aware of the lack of communication between MahaRERA and VVCMC officials to verify commencement certificates (CC) and approved government agency documents submitted by builders.
He took advantage of these loopholes in the online system and deceived thousands of families.
According to the police, the scam came to light in July this year after Patil sold a flat in Rudransh Apartments at Kopri Village in Virar East to two individuals. The victims approached the police who filed an FIR.
Rudransh, the first of the 55 complexes, was built on the land belonging to Patil's co-accused Dilip Kailash Benvanshi who submitted around 14 fake documents to MahaRERA to obtain a RERA number to sell flats. Patil approached Benvanshi in 2012-13 to construct the building, and they forged 14 government documents with the help of other accused individuals. These fake documents included legal title reports, encumbrances (mortgage or other claims on property or assets), layout approvals, building plans, NA orders for plotted development, CC declarations, affidavits, architect's certificates of completion of work, engineer certificates of project cost and quality assurance certificates, and Central Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest of India (CERSAI) (assets-based search reports).
According to the rules, builders cannot sell flats or advertise them without a MahaRERA-issued number.
The accused uploaded all fake documents on the MahaRERA website to obtain approval to sell flats in Rudransh Apartments. MahaRERA didn't verify the documents because they lacked procedures or communication with the VVCMC, according to sources.
Rudransh Apartments was issued a RERA number on February 2, 2022. Using the RERA number, the accused approached banks for loans to buyers.
Taking advantage of this loophole, Patil and gang continued to use fake documents and secured MahaRERA approval to 54 other buildings as well.
Meanwhile, buyers invested their money as they were assured by the RERA approval.
MahaRERA officials agreed that there is a "lack of connectivity and communication" to cross-verify the documents "supposedly issued by government agencies".
"For this reason, 65 builders from the Kalyan-Dombivli area deceived us last year by uploading fake documents and obtaining RERA certificates. We have cancelled their RERA registrations. Thereafter, MahaRERA's registration process was stopped in March," an official told mid-day.
"Now, to prevent such frauds in the future, the registration of new construction projects began on June 19, following the verification of CC sent to designated email addresses of the respective municipal corporation as per government guidelines. But, the integration of local government agencies with the MahaRERA is not yet complete..." the official said.
"MahaRERA will ensure the authenticity of documents before project registration. For this purpose, all local government agencies should place these permissions on the MahaRERA website...we have created special email IDs for the municipal corporations across Maharashtra, which will verify the documents. This decision was announced by the central government on February 23, 2023.
"It is expected that local government agencies will also coordinate the issuance of occupation certificates (OC) along with the CC," the official said.
The official added, "We are gathering details [of the 55 buildings] from the VVCMC and will take appropriate action. Our regulatory body has also initiated an investigation into this matter."
June 19
Day MahaRERA started elaborate process of registration
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