The first FIR was filed by Shanti Jadav (49), a farmer from Gujar village in Dhandhuka taluka, who alleged that in November 2023 he was induced to book a ground-floor shop in the proposed ‘Richmond by 22 Storey’ project in Ghuma. He claimed Jaydeep Kotak and Hiren Amrutlal Karia introduced themselves as partners of Privilon Buildcon LLP and offered shop GF-06 at a discounted rate. Jadav paid ₹15 lakh by cheque and ₹6 lakh in cash. Despite assurances of RERA approval and construction timelines, work never began, and the site office and project boards were allegedly removed in December 2024.

Jadav later discovered that the accused neither owned the land nor had any development agreement or RERA permission, and alleged that they collected money from multiple buyers through cheques, RTGS, UPI and cash, issuing fabricated receipts for cash payments.

The second FIR was lodged by Jayjit Gatha (34), a South Bopal resident, who alleged that he and his wife booked a 2BHK flat in the proposed ‘Celestial by 14 Storey’ project in Ghuma in early 2024. He claimed to have paid ₹27.6 lakh by cheque after being shown brochures and project boards claiming ownership and development rights. However, construction never commenced, and the boards were later replaced by those of another developer. Verification with landowners revealed no agreement with the accused and no RERA approval.

Police said both FIRs indicate a planned conspiracy involving false representations, forged MoUs, misleading advertisements and diversion of investor funds. An investigation is underway to trace the money trail, identify more victims and determine individual roles. DeshGujarat