In what appears to be a plot similar to the Bollywood flick Khosla Ka Ghosla, an Indian Air Force officer had to run from pillar to post for six months to save his flat from being usurped by an unscrupulous builder.

Wing Commander Pradeepkumar Satpathy, who is deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, and wife Sonal bought a flat in Pune in 2006 worth Rs 10 lakh on loan from Sidra Developers. Satpathy had paid 90 per cent of the amount for the flat, but could not pay one instalment of Rs 1 lakh due in January 2007 on time.

The builder saw this as an opportunity to grab the flat, sent a legal notice to Satpathy. The notice stated that if the Satpathys did not make the payment within a week, they would lose possession of the flat. "I was deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and could not travel because of heavy snowfall. I instructed my wife to make the payment. She paid the amount, but it was delayed by a few days," Satpathy explained.

Satpathy tried to explain his case to representatives of the builder, but they refused to budge. Realising the corrupt intentions of the builder, Satpathy then approached the district Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to save his house from being grabbed. "The commission ruled in our favour and asked the builder to pay us a compensation of Rs 15,000.
 
However, the builder challenged the decision in the state CDRC," Satpathy said. The state CDRC disposed off the appeal and asked the builder to allot possession of the flat to the Satpathys, according to the agreement. The court, however, waived off the compensation amount for the builder.