The District Crime Branch (DCB) has arrested a railway employee for allegedly defrauding a Coimbatore-based realtor of ₹1.75 crore on the pretext of a land deal. DCB officials identified the accused as Bijoy, a resident of Saibaba Colony, based on a complaint filed by S. Rajan, 56, of Mavuthampathy near Navakkarai in Coimbatore district.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), Mr. Rajan, who runs Greens Property Developers on Thadagam Road in Coimbatore, was introduced to Bijoy and his wife Rehana in October 2023 through mutual acquaintances. Bijoy claimed to be a senior railway official from Kerala with close connections to influential people in various departments. He also claimed to own a riverside property at Agali village in Palakkad district, and offered to sell it to Mr. Rajan for ₹1,75,00,000, claiming that the property’s value would increase significantly.
The FIR stated that Mr. Rajan trusted the couple after he was invited to witness Rehana selling a property. He then expressed his interest to buy the Agali property on October 8, 2023. Bijoy then collected an advance payment of ₹5 lakh to prepare the necessary documents for the land deal.
Later, Mr. Rajan and his business friends transferred a total of ₹1,70,49,000 to Rehana’s bank account in 15 transactions. However, despite multiple requests from Rajan, the couple failed to hand over the said property. On October 6, 2024, Mr. Rajan paid a visit to Bijoy’s residence to demand that he return the ₹1,75,49,000, but Bijoy refused and allegedly issued threats to Mr. Rajan, said the FIR.
The DCB registered a case against Bijoy and Rehana on December 17 and launched an investigation. Bijoy was arrested on Wednesday, and the officials are on the lookout for Rehana.
Published – December 19, 2024 09:25 pm IST
