‘Millionaire’ Asif Furniturewala fails to surrender before court

Asif Furniturewala, who runs Millionaire, a popular garment store, failed to surrender before the metropolitan court on Monday in a case of fraudulently trying to implement a project under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA).

After his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Bombay high court on October 1, his lawyer had said that Furniturewala would voluntarily surrender before the metropolitan court.

Residents of the Veer Hussein Tangewali chawl, Andheri, which he fraudulently tried to redevelop under the SRA, alleged that the police were reluctant to arrest him as he is an “influential” man.

“His anticipatory bail pleas before the sessions court and the high court were rejected. He was to surrender on October 11, but he failed to,” said Parag Shelke, lawyer of Shakil Patni who holds a room in the chawl and on whose complaint the case began.

Patni said, “We feel that the police are shielding him. His people are threatening me.”  Furniturewala’s wife said she could not comment on the case. Officers at the DN Nagar police station looking into the case said the matter was at a “crucial stage”.

Furniturewala, along with chief promoter Zahida Vali Sayyed and her husband, tried to construct Ashiana Cooperative Housing Society in place of the chawl under the SRA. In 2008, they allegedly started using coercive measures to evict residents unwilling to move out. Residents then filed an RTI application, which revealed a commercial licence issued by the civic body on August 15, a public holiday. Work on the project is presently halted.