Gurugram flat that didn't exist sold for Rs 12 cr: Delhi Police bust Rs 200 crore property scam

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• Delhi Police busts gang selling fake luxury apartments with forged auction papers
• Rs 12 crore fraud found; total scam may top Rs 200 crore in multiple states
• Prime accused arrested; police seek more victims and remaining gang members

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The Delhi Police have uncovered a major property fraud in which a gang allegedly sold a non-existent luxury apartment at DLF Camellias in Gurugram for Rs 12 crore using forged bank auction documents. Investigators believe the same syndicate may have cheated several victims across multiple states, with the total fraud amount estimated to be over Rs 200 crore.

The case came to light after a complaint was filed on June 13, accusing the group of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. The complainant was shown fake auction papers of a high-end apartment at DLF Camellias, one of the most premium residential projects in the NCR. The victim was told that the property had already been purchased in a bank auction by the accused firm and could be transferred immediately, TOI reported.

How was the buyer trapped?

The complainant transferred Rs 12 crore between August and October last year through RTGS and demand drafts after trusting the documents and assurances. However, when doubts arose and the bank was contacted for verification, it was revealed that all documents were forged. Police said no such auction had ever taken place and the sale certificates, covering letters and auction receipts were fake.

A detailed financial probe traced the money to several bank accounts linked to a finance and licensing company run by the prime accused, Mohit Gogia.

“The bank analysis revealed that the funds were quickly routed through multiple accounts to conceal the trail. Several beneficiaries and shell firms have since been identified and liens have been placed on suspected bank accounts. Two cars bought using the cheated amount were also seized,” TOI quoted DCP (crime) Aditya Gautam as saying.

Well-planned syndicate with set modus operandi

According to the police, the gang followed a fixed pattern to cheat victims. People were lured with offers of luxury properties at prices much lower than the market value. Forged bank mortgage and auction papers were shown to make the deals look genuine, along with promises of immediate possession. The money was then rotated through a network of accounts for profit, often through Babaji Finance, allegedly run by absconding accused Ram Singh alias Babaji.

Gogia (38), a Delhi resident, was arrested on November 22 while allegedly trying to flee from Mumbai towards Uttarakhand. He was caught near Doiwala on the Rishikesh-Dehradun road and later revealed details about his associates.

Wider fraud suspected

Four more accused were later arrested. These include Vishal Malhotra and Sachin Gulati, who allegedly allowed their bank accounts to be used for laundering money; Abhinav Pathak, who allegedly introduced the complainant to Gogia and helped finalise the deal; and Bharat Chhabra, who allegedly helped prepare forged documents.

Police said Gogia has at least 16 criminal cases registered against him across Delhi, Punjab, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh.

Investigators believe similar frauds were carried out involving properties near Ambience Mall and other prime locations in Delhi-NCR.

The crime branch is now trying to arrest the remaining accused, recover the cheated money and identify more victims linked to the multi-state fraud network.