Deonar Police have registered a case against a Govandi resident for allegedly cheating a garment trader of Rs 24 lakh by using forged documents bearing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) logo and survey details linked to slum-redevelopment projects.

According to the police, the complainant, 50-year-old Mohammad Shah, runs a garment unit in Govandi. The accused, 51-year-old Tufail Ahmed Jamadar Shah, a resident of Gautam Nagar in Govandi, promised to secure him six rooms in upcoming BMC redevelopment projects at Panchshil Society in New Gautam Nagar Part No 1 and Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd.

Between July 2022 and July 2025, the complainant allegedly paid Tufail a total of Rs 24 lakh in cash through multiple instalments. To gain his trust, the accused allegedly handed over forged BMC hut-holder identity cards, survey receipts and biometric annexure papers showing names supposedly eligible for rehabilitation. These included fake sale agreements, powers of attorney and affidavits dating back to 2018–2023.

When the complainant later verified the survey numbers with civic authorities in late 2024, he discovered that the documents were fabricated and that no rooms had been allotted in his or his family’s names. On demanding a refund, the trader alleged that the accused threatened him to kill.

The police have booked the accused under the relevant sections related to cheating, criminal intimidation and forgery, and are verifying the authenticity of the documents with Mumbai civic corporation officials. Officers said the case points to possible misuse of civic redevelopment records in the Govandi–Mankhurd belt, and they suspect there may be more victims who may have been duped by the accused.

How the fraud was conducted

• Accused allegedly forged BMC hut-holder cards and survey receipts used as proof.
• He later promised six rooms in BMC projects at Govandi and Mankhurd.
• The complainant paid Rs 24 lakh in cash over three years.
• The claimed names were “biometrically registered” for allotment.
• It was later found during BMC verification that the papers presented by the accused were fake.

Source