Daijiworld Media Network - Gurgaon
Gurgaon, Dec 29: In a major real estate fraud, a woman was allegedly cheated of Rs 12.04 crore after being lured with the promise of a luxury flat in DLF Camellias at nearly half the market price through a fake bank auction deal, police said.
The incident dates back to August 2024, when the woman was searching for a house in an upscale Gurgaon society. Though DLF Camellias was beyond her budget, she was introduced to Abhinav Pathak, a medicine distributor, who claimed he could arrange the property at a heavily discounted rate through a bank auction.
According to police, Pathak told the woman that a premium flat had already been purchased via a bank auction and could be transferred to her at a lower price. Representatives of M/s MG Leasing & Finance allegedly showed her forged sale certificates, auction receipts and covering letters, all purportedly issued by the State Bank of India.
Believing the documents to be genuine, the woman transferred Rs 12.04 crore through RTGS and demand drafts between August and October 2024. The fraud came to light only after the bank confirmed that all documents were forged. A formal complaint was lodged on June 13 this year.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch’s Inter-State Cell took over the probe and traced the money trail, which led to a proprietorship firm owned by Mohit Gogia. Following extensive technical surveillance and intelligence gathering, Gogia was arrested on November 22 near Doiwala on the Rishikesh-Dehradun Road while attempting to flee towards Uttarakhand.
During interrogation, Gogia revealed the involvement of four others. Property dealer Vishal Malhotra opened an HDFC Bank account to route the funds, while Sachin Gulati allowed his IDFC First Bank account to be used for layering the money. Pathak acted as the link between the complainant and the gang, while Bharat Chhabra prepared the forged documents using his laptop.
Police said Gogia specialised in identifying disputed or mortgaged properties and creating fake title and auction documents. The money was routed through multiple accounts and firms to conceal its origin before finally reaching Ram Singh alias Babaji, who ran Babaji Finance and circulated the funds at high interest rates. Gogia allegedly retained 40 per cent of the profits.
Police records show that Gogia is wanted in at least 16 similar cases across Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Goa since 2019. Investigators estimate that the gang has duped victims of over Rs 200 crore across multiple states.
While five key accused have been arrested, police said efforts are on to trace other suspects, including Ram Singh. Two cars purchased using the fraud proceeds have been seized, and liens have been placed on several bank accounts as the investigation continues.