Trio dupes woman of ₹21L with fake flat promise

Pune: The Chinchwad police on Monday registered a case of cheating against three members of a family from Pimpri for allegedly duping a 40-year-old woman of Rs 21 lakh on the promise of securing two flats for her under a MHADA scheme.The accused allegedly took money from the woman between 2024 and 2025 and cheated her, police said.An officer from the Chinchwad police said the complainant, a resident of Karad, works as an accountant with a private firm.In 2024, the accused contacted her and promised her two flats under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) scheme at Dange Chowk at a cheap rate. “Believing them, the woman gave them Rs 20.85 lakh. When she did not get the flats under the scheme, she started following up with them for her money,” the officer said.He said that despite repeated follow-ups, the trio did not return the money. The woman then approached the Chinchwad police and lodged a complaint.The trio has been booked under sections 318 (cheating) and 316 (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).“We are yet to make arrests in the case,” the officer said.