Maharashtra: 59-year-old man held for allegedly preparing fake papers to sell public-use plot in Navi Mumbai

Further investigation into the case is underway. Representational Pic

A 59-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly preparing fake documents to facilitate the illegal sale of a Navi Mumbai plot reserved for public use by CIDCO, police said on Friday, the PTI reported.

Police stated that the plot, located in the Koparkhairane area, had been reserved by the planning agency City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) for public services and utilities.

However, forged documents were allegedly created for the land, after which it was illegally sold, and construction activities were reportedly carried out on the site.

Following a complaint, police launched an investigation and found that Prabhakar Atmaram Mhatre, a resident of Nerul village in Navi Mumbai, had allegedly fabricated the documents and facilitated the illegal sale of the CIDCO plot. He was taken into custody on Wednesday, an official said, PTI reported.

Further investigation into the case is underway, the official added.

Dream home turns nightmare as Mumbai Police crack fake flat racket

Earlier in January, what seemed like a dream opportunity to buy "affordable flats" turned into a nightmare for many homebuyers, after Malad Police uncovered a well-organised property fraud racket that lured victims with under-construction apartments at unusually low prices.

The police have arrested five accused in the case, while the alleged mastermind is absconding. The accused allegedly used popular real estate portals such as Housing.com, NoBroker, and social media platforms to post attractive advertisements offering flats worth around Rs 1 crore for just Rs 60-70 lakh.

According to police, the gang's biggest strength was the authenticity of its paperwork. Investigations revealed that one of the accused illegally procured flat-related documents from the registrar's office, digitally replaced the real owner's photograph with his own, and posed as the legitimate flat owner. "The documents appeared absolutely genuine. Once the buyer paid the advance amount, the accused would disappear," a police officer said.

In one such case, a 31-year-old complainant, Navaldev Narayan Rajput, a resident of Malad East, was allegedly cheated of Rs 30 lakh. The accused showed him Flat No. 1301 at Shubhashree Orchard, Zakaria Road, Malad West, claiming it belonged to one Poptlal. The deal took place between November 4 and December 23, 2025, and an FIR was registered on December 29, 2025.

The case has been registered at Malad Police Station (CR No. 943/2025) under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including provisions related to cheating, forgery, impersonation, criminal conspiracy, and misappropriation.

(With PTI inputs)