SURAT: A 57-year-old builder has filed a Rs 4.04 crore cheating complaint against his three partners.
The victim was Magan Desai and the accused were Mehul Lakhani, Virendra Lakhani and their father Labhu Lakhani. They forged documents and sold land belonging to their partnership firm. They got the money transferred in their individual accounts.
Economic offences wing is investigating the case after a cheating, forgery and conspiracy complaint filed with DCB police station.
Desai and Labhu Lakhani are cousins. They entered into a partnership by establishing Messrs Lakhani and Desai Developers in 2010. Under the firm, they used to take up projects of land development, land dealing and real estate.
In 2014, the firm has decided to make five towers — A to E, each of 13 floor in Katargam. For this, they had bought five land parcels from Bharat Patel who made documents in firm’s name. The partners decided on who all are authorised for dealing with investors, buyers and other transactions.
However, out of five land parcels, one land parcels of 2,490.58 square metre (E tower) was sold for Rs 4.04 crore illegally by Mehul Lakhani to his father Labhu Lakhani. Mehul also transferred Rs 4.04 crore of firm to his family members’ account. After selling the land to his father, he did not receive any money. Even after that, he used firm’s money to transfer it to his family members.
Mehul Lakhani also forged a document, in which he corrected 2018 as 2019 to take powers for certain transactions. Lakhani also faked the photo of the land he sold. He showed that the said land where E tower was being built is not developed yet. However, there was a plinth level constitution on it when he sold it.
Inspector HK Solanki said: “We have booked accused under IPC 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 34 and 120B. We issued accused seven days notice for registering their statements.”
