Doesn’t allot flats to 30 displaced families 3 years after completion of Andheri building.
Seven years ago, 30 families readily moved from the Andheri plot where they had been living for five decades in the hope that they would soon move from their cramped huts into flats.
But, when they realised that the developer had not allotted them flats in the building, which was constructed under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme, the slum dwellers approached the state ministry.
The ministry subsequently directed the police to probe into the matter.
On Friday, the DN Nagar police finally arrested Latif Nizamuddin, the developer, and booked him for cheating the slum dwellers.
Later in the day, Latif Nizamuddin was produced in the Andheri metropolitan magistrate’s court and he was remanded in police custody until December 5.
More arrests are likely in the case, the police said.
The complainants said that they had been living on the plot near the Andheri subway for more than 50 years. In 2001, Sayed Qamarali, the promoter, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Prime India Builders.
One of the clauses of the MoU was that the builder would allocate flats in the building to the 30 slum dwellers under the SRA scheme.
“The occupants, in turn, were supposed to pay a certain amount towards the construction charges,” said Gulnar Siddique, secretary of the building.
The slum dwellers vacated the plot in 2004 and the building was ready by 2009.
“The builder kept on delaying handing over the flats to us. Instead, he sold those free hold flats to private parties. In fact, the builder and his relatives have occupied at least six of the flats in the building,” claimed Riyaz Sayed, another displaced slum dweller.
“We have been living in rented accommodation for the last seven years hoping that soon we will move into our own flat.”
The complainants then approached the state home ministry.
When the police first called Nizamuddin for questioning, he denied any wrongdoing. But, on sustained questioning, he broke down and confessed to have cheated the 30 families.
However, a few days ago, he again went back on his words and sought to squash the first information reported registered with the DN Nagar police and moved court. He claimed that it was a civil dispute and not a criminal one.
But, the police arrested Nizamuddin based on the documents submitted by the displaced families.
Police inspector D Devde, who is investigating the case, refused to comment.
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