Vadodara: A builder who constructed Samarpan Flats in the Tarsali area of the city has been booked by police for allegedly cheating a customer of ₹15.20 lakh by cancelling the agreement for two flats and selling them to other buyers at a higher price. Makarpura police have registered a case against the builder and started an investigation.

According to police, the complainant Sandip Somabhai Patel (50), a resident of Shivam Flat on Manjalpur GIDC Road, originally hails from Varkhad village in Nandod taluka of Narmada district and is engaged in farming there. In 2021, he had booked two flats in a residential scheme named Samarpan Flats in the Tarsali area.

As per the complaint, Jatin Shantilal Pancholi, manager of Samarpan Developers and a resident of Sevaarthi, Dada Bhagwan Tri Mandir, Varnama, had finalised the deal for the two flats and received a total of ₹15.20 lakh in instalments from the complainant. A written agreement was also executed between the two parties, and the remaining amount was to be paid after completion of construction.

However, the complainant later came to know that the builder had cancelled the agreement and sold the same flats to Umesh Dhanshyambhai Dave, a resident of Juna Padra Road, and Manishaben Bharatbhai Shah, a resident of Surat, allegedly at a higher price.

The matter came to light when the complainant’s family verified the documents at the Sub-Registrar’s office, where it was found that the flats had been registered in the names of other buyers.

Following the complaint, Makarpura police have registered an FIR against builder Jatin Pancholi under charges of cheating and have begun further investigation. DeshGujarat