Ahmedabad: A 57-year-old trader from the city’s Jodhpur area has alleged fraud after discovering that a flat he purchased had been mortgaged by the builder, with the loan against it still unpaid. The trader claimed that this crucial information was deliberately concealed from both him and the original flat owners.

According to the complaint filed on Wednesday, the trader, who runs an electronics shop at CTM, agreed in 2016 to buy the flat for Rs 50 lakh. The owner issued a possession and allotment letter, but the final sale deed was delayed.

The trader further alleged that in March 2017, Ram City Union Finance Limited issued a notice regarding a loan of Rs 62.5 lakh taken by Meher Pravinchandra Desai, director of Sambhav Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., against the flat. The complainant said he was unaware of this mortgage at the time of purchase, and the loan has yet to be repaid. He accused the builder and finance company of deliberately hiding the mortgage to commit fraud.

After the flat owner passed away in 2021, the owner’s son executed the sale deed in the trader’s favour as per the will. However, in 2022, the finance company initiated recovery proceedings. Upon further investigation, the trader discovered that the builder had previously executed a registered sale deed in 2015, showing payment of Rs 42 lakh through a cheque, which later proved to be fake.

The complainant has accused the builder, his wife, the firm, and certain finance company officials of conspiring to cheat both him and the original flat-owning family by concealing the mortgage and failing to repay the loan. Following his complaint, Anandnagar police have registered a case under the Indian Penal Code for cheating and abetment, and an investigation is currently underway. DeshGujarat