TV actor and presenter Samir Kochhar has lodged a complaint with the Andheri police in Mumbai, alleging that a couple swindled him and his friend out of Rs1.03 crore in a flat purchase fraud. According to Kochhar, he and his friend, Varun Bangera, had made advance payments towards the purchase of office flats in Bandra in 2020.
The Andheri police have registered an FIR against Pronit Nath and his wife Amisha, who are accused of building flats and selling them to unsuspecting buyers. As per the complaint, the couple collected Rs58.5 lakh from Kochhar and Rs44.7 lakh from Bangera after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on March 30, 2021. The MOU stated that the final payments would be made upon completion of the construction. The Nath couple assured Kochhar and Bangera that they would construct a four-storey building on a plot in Bandra Pali village.
The Nath couple, who reside in Andheri (East), have been charged under sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker, merchant, or agent), 420 (cheating), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. An officer from the Andheri police station explained that Kochhar and his friend initially made the advance payments in 2020 and sought legal recourse after receiving a WhatsApp message from Nath in June, stating that he could not sell them the flats. To their shock, they later discovered that the flats had already been sold to other individuals.
Kochhar stated, The Nath couple deceived us of our hard-earned money. We paid them three years ago, and now they are claiming they cannot sell us the flat. Their lawyer informed us that the flats in the building had already been sold.
In his complaint, Kochhar mentioned that they made the advance payments via cheques in 2021. On June 3, 2022, Nath messaged them, claiming that the construction would be completed in three months. Believing Nath’s message about the progress, Kochhar trusted him. However, on June 23, he received another message from Nath revealing his unwillingness to sell the flat and his intention to keep it for personal use. Kochhar expressed his shock, stating, On May 28, Nath sent us a notice indicating his reluctance to sell the flats. Frustrated by the situation, Kochhar and his friend sought the court’s intervention to complete the sale deed. In a court hearing on July 26, Kochhar’s lawyer Vivek Kantiwala informed him that the flats had already been sold to Sachet Pandey through an MOU signed on February 7.
Kochhar has sought legal assistance from lawyers Prerak Chaudhary and Amar Thakur as they pursue justice against the Nath couple for their alleged fraud. The case serves as a reminder to individuals to exercise caution when making significant financial transactions and to ensure they seek proper documentation and legal advice to protect their interests.
