Gurugram, May 10 (IANS): An RTI activist and his family members were arrested for a Rs 15 crore property loan fraud in Gurugram.

Police said that the activist Harinder Dhingra, his two sons Prashant Dhingra and Tarun Dhingra were arrested while his wife Poonam Dhingra is absconding.

According to the police, a complaint was received on April 16 that the Dhingra family had taken a Rs 15 crore bank loan on their house located in the upscale DLF Phase-1 in Gurugram through their firm Elegance Fabrics Pvt. Ltd. and mortgaged the property to the OBC bank in 2003.

"Despite this Dhingra's son Tarun had again taken a bank loan on the same property on the basis of forged documents on his firm Tarun Exports in 2007. Thereafter, the RTI activist had fraudulently prepared the fake transfer deed of the property in the name of his second son Tarun Dhingra and his grandson Garv Dhingra and embezzled the loan amount," said a senior police official requesting anonymity.

The official said that Poonam Dhingra and her son Prashant Dhingra through their company M/s Elegance Fabrics Pvt Ltd had taken different types of loans and later due to not repaying the loan amount they became Non-performing Assets (NPA).

"Despite having NPA and the proceedings of the said property pending in the Hon'ble Punjab and Haryana High court the accused and his family members had adopted several tactics so that nor they have to pay bank loan amount and neither could bank auction their property," the officer said.

Police investigation also revealed that Harinder Dhingra along with his associate Ravindra Yadav, took advantage of the RTI Act with the intention of pressurising banks/government employees/officers to extort money.

"Earlier multiple cases have also been registered against Harinder Dhingra and his associate Ravinder Yadav at the Sadar police station and the DLF phase-1 police station in Gurugram under relevant sections of the IPC," the officer added.