Pune: Kothrud police have booked twelve people including directors of a private company on charges of duping investors to the tune of Rs 75.44 lakh by promising them monthly interest amount or bungalow land plots against their investment in projects at Raigad and Purandar districts. The investment company has a local office on Paud road in Kothrud and headquarters in Bengaluru.

Nitesh Kantilal Thakkar (45), a resident of Wakad has lodged a complaint in this regard at the Kothrud police station. Based on this complaint, a FIR has been lodged against Expat Project and Development Pvt. Ltd company directors. The suspects have been identified as Sachchidanand Ramappa Kanchan, Santosh Balkrishna Shetty, Nanmul Bhatia, Lassell Victor D'Souza, Santosh Alexander Benjamin, Verlin D'Souza and Arpil Waghmare. The company has its local office at Paud Road and its headquarters at Bangalore.

The land plots for the bungalow will be sold at Garva Village in Kudli Vile village, Park View project in Roha village in Raigad district and Lavanya Pangare project in Pangare village in Purandar. The complainants were lured by suspects who claimed that after the investment, either a monthly interest amount will be paid or the land plot will be allotted to the complainant.

According to police, Thakkar, his wife and relatives had invested Rs 75.44 lakh in the project. The suspects had promised a monthly interest payable on this amount and if interest was not paid then a bungalow land plot would be allotted to the Thakkar’s. However, no interest was paid by the company and suspects to the Thakkar’s even after their investments were made. They were also denied allotment of land plots. Upon realizing that he has been cheated, Thakkar approached Kothrud police and lodged a complaint against the suspects. Senior Inspector Pratibha Joshi from Kothrud police station is investigating the case.