Thane man duped home buyer of Rs 1.42 cr, caught

Prashant Mestry

A Thane-based man was arrested by Kalachowky police for allegedly duping several people of Rs 1.42 crore in total, on the pretext of allotting inexpensive MHADA apartments. The accused was identified as Prashant Mestry, 42.

Complainant Ashok Gamre, 63, was searching for a flat in Mumbai. He came across an online advertisement of Mestry's as a real estate agent. Gamre and his son contacted Mestry in October 2019 and later met him at his Lalbaug-based office.

Gamre was living with his family in a rented accommodation and had to vacate in a few months. Mestry showed them a flat in Chinchpokli and the family shifted there. Gamre later liked a flat in Bhoiwada.

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He was told it costs Rs 50 lakh. "Gamre first paid Rs 20 lakh through cheque in October 2019. following it up with another cheque worth Rs 10 lakh on Mestry's assurance that construction work will finish soon," said an official from Kalachowky police station.

While he was living in Chinchpokli, the Gamre family was visited by the original owner of the flat who asked them to vacate. The owner then filed a complaint against Gamre at Kalachowky police station. Mestry was unreachable.

Realising he had been conned, Gamre registered a police complaint against Mestry. At the police station it was found out that more people had been duped the same way for a total of Rs 1.42 crore. An FIR was lodged against Prashant Mestry, Manali Mestry, Pravin Bane, Ashish Shinde and others of cheating and forgery in April 2022.