The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a probe against a Ghatkopar-based builder for money laundering crores using fake documents. The said case pertains to the sale of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) worth crores for a prime plot in Mumbai, which was sold by creating bogus documents, including death certificates.
Builder Mukesh Mehta and a few others who had purchased the TDR are to be summoned by ED to record their statement in connection with the money laundering case. Some of those who had been summoned, according sources, cited rising Covid-19 cases for their inability to appear before the ED.
The case registered by ED is based on an FIR registered against Mehta with Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing. The complaint was initially registered at Amboli police station in Mumbai under Section 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 471 and 34 of IPC against Mukesh Mehta and Hirji Kenia.
The case was registered by Bipin Makda, who had claimed that his father Talakshi Makda, along with six other partners purchased a plot in Oshiwara, Andheri in the name of their partnership firm ‘Dalia Industrial Estate’ of Behramji Jejeebhoy Private Limited.
The land was reserved for road development. Bipin Malda alleged that his brother Jitendra Makda after their father's death, colluded with one of the partners, Hirji Kenia, and fabricated the documents showing that all partners in the firm had retired.
He said, then Hirji Kenia and Jitendra Makda were shown as 50% partners in the firm and as per the plan, Mukesh Mehta purchased the plot from Kenia and Jitendra Makda on the basis of fake documents.
The said plot was taken over by BMC for road development and the TDR was allotted for the same to Mehta who then sold it to Vanquish Investment Leasing. The said company, which is also under probe, then sold the TDR to a construction company at undervalued prices of around Rs 30 crore on paper.
It is suspected that the TDR was sold at a much higher price and then the amount was allegedly received in cash, to be diverted to other states.
The complainant, Bipin Makda, in his statement to EOW had said, "The land parcel on which the TDR worth crores was acquired was bought by a partnership firm named Daliya Industrial estate in 1972 and was in the name of seven partners of the firm. The firm would develop buildings and sell it and had acquired the prime land parcel in Oshiwara for development but somehow couldn't develop it. The plot was later put under reservation by the BMC for development of a road and for which a TDR was to be granted to the landowners which were the partnership firm in which one of the partners was my father."
He added, "One of the partners now named accused in the case, Hirji Keniya, had the power of attorney for the property from other partners, who connived with the prime accused, Mukesh Mehta, to create false conveyance deed dated 1979, which said that the land was sold to Mehta for Rs 24,000. Then a false partnership admission-cum-retirement deed was forced which retired all the partners other than Keniya and Jitendra Makda, who then held 50% shares each."
"Signatures of most of the partners, including my father who died in 1993, were forged. There were signatures of around four other partners who are also dead. The confirmation deed dated 1979 has pictures of Keniya and Jethalal Makda, which were clicked in 2008, and proves that the documents are forged and false. Then a deed of confirmation was created in 2008."
Mukesh Mehta acquired TDR for the property of around 4273.70 square meters which comes to around 46,000 square feet of construction. This TDR was then sold allegedly by Mehta.
ED is investigating various bank accounts of Mehta and his relatives. Fresh summons could be sent to Mehta and others related to the case, said sources.