The victim, Ashok Nopany, a resident of Undri, approached police after discovering that his flat in Gahunje had been illegally mortgaged to two nationalized banks in Mumbai and Pune. The accused-a real estate broker from Katraj and a woman from Jaysingpur, Kolhapur-allegedly forged property documents and used them to secure loans of Rs 1.42 crore and Rs 1.40 crore from the banks, totaling Rs 2.82 crore.
According to the FIR filed on May 13, 2025, the broker had initially approached Nopany with an offer to buy his flat for Rs 1.95 crore, introducing the woman as his “sister” and prospective buyer. After a few meetings, the broker convinced Nopany to sign a sale agreement with the woman, promising a quick loan disbursal and full payment upon loan clearance. A token of Rs 20,000 was paid, and the sale agreement was registered with the Wadgaon Maval sub-registrar’s office.
Instead of proceeding with a legitimate sale, the accused used photocopies of the flat’s property documents-originally shared by Nopany for the transaction-to create forged papers. These were then used to mortgage the flat and secure loans from two nationalized banks. The fraudsters even opened a bank account in Nopany’s name at a cooperative bank to receive the loan amounts.
Shockingly, the banks sanctioned the loans without proper verification, despite the flat being jointly owned by Nopany and his daughter, and the family continuing to reside there. The banks have since initiated proceedings with Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) in Mumbai and Pune, seeking possession of the flat after the woman defaulted on repayments.
The scam came to light in March 2024, when bank officials arrived at the Gahunje society to paste an auction notice on the flat. Nopany, surprised by the notice, consulted a lawyer who uncovered the fraudulent mortgage through a title search. He immediately secured a stay order from a civil court in Wadgaon Maval against the banks’ attachment and auction notices and has filed third-party intervention pleas with the DRTs. The legal proceedings are ongoing.
Kalepadal police have booked the broker and the woman for criminal breach of trust, cheating, and forgery. Both suspects are currently on the run, having switched off their phones. Police are working on leads to apprehend them and are investigating the possible involvement of bank officials who may have colluded in the scam by failing to verify the documents properly.
Pune has witnessed a surge in property-related frauds, with racketeers exploiting loopholes in documentation and verification processes to mortgage or sell properties using forged identities and documents. Experts warn property owners to exercise extreme caution when sharing documents and to monitor their property records regularly.
