Mumbai: The city crime branch recently filed a chargesheet against four people, including a govt servant, for allegedly orchestrating a multi-crore fraud by impersonating as officials of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) and duping victims with promises of allotting govt plots.Those named in the chargesheet are Ravi Sharma, Sunil Surve, Vikram Giri, and govt employee Krishna Valvankar.The chargesheet stated the accused collected Rs 2.9 crore through cash, cheques, and bank transfers on the pretext of allotting Mhada plots but neither delivered possession nor refunded investor money.According to the police, the accused conspired between Oct 2024 and Oct 2025 to deceive the complainant by falsely claiming they could secure Mhada plots in Bandra and Kandivli.Investigations revealed that the accused created forged documents on fake Mhada letterheads bearing counterfeit govt stamps and signatures of officials.Vikram Giri allegedly provided technical assistance in fabricating the forged papers, while Surve procured potential buyers.Police alleged that Sharma posed as an authorised Mhada vendor, while Surve and Giri assisted in procuring customers and preparing forged documents using fake seals and letterheads. To gain the complainant’s confidence, Valvankar allegedly impersonated a senior Mhada officer and signed forged documents in the presence of the victim. Authorities stated that this impersonation played a crucial role in lending credibility to the fraudulent scheme.
