Mumbai:
Mohammed Irshad Sheikh is inconsolable. The garment factory employee had bought a house for Rs 3 lakh in Mumbai so that he could provide his cancer-stricken sons with basic comforts.
However, he was shocked to know that the small house in Mominpura was also sold to 26 other people. He told MiD DAY that he bought the house from Nasim Ansari who had ensured him that his sons would also receive treatment at a nearby hospital.
Sheikh said that Nasim had approached him and requested him to rent the house till the final payment was made.
Ansari kept a tenant of his choice in the house between September and November. Sheikh said that the tenant would pay Ansari Rs 6,000 and he would hand over Rs 5,000 to him, pocketing Rs 1,000 himself.
Sheikh further added that he found something fishy when Ansari stopped making payments to him and both the tenant and Ansari disappeared.
Sheikh approached the police, who then nabbed him from a nearby hideout last Friday.
During investigations, the police officials learnt that Ansari sold the same apartment to 26 other people in the past two years.
They stumbled upon 26 documents, which indicated that Ansari had adopted the same means to cheat his other victims.
Police investigations have indicated that Ansari collected between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh from his earlier victims.
The amassed money was spent on buying a farmhouse to breed rabbits at Anand Shrirampur, Ahmednagar.
"I have arrested Ansari under section 420, 504, 506, 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The agent Naeem Ansari is absconding," said Sub-inspector Arun Dhanawde who is investigating the case.
He added that a team is planning to go to Ahmednagar to collect all necessary evidence before presenting a water-tight case before the prosecution.