A resident of a housing complex in Rajarhat, who was reportedly operating a fraudulent scheme by acquiring flats through personal loans secured by mortgaging the properties and subsequently selling them to another individual, was arrested by Bidhannagar police on Saturday.

The police have learned that at least two persons have been cheated by the accused.

Recently, officers of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate came across a complaint filed by a woman who alleged that she had purchased an apartment in a plush housing society on Rajarhat Main Road against an initial payment of ₹21 lakh from a person named Ajay Kumar.

“According to the complainant, she had disbursed ₹21 lakh before the property was officially transferred to her name through a deed of conveyance. However, she later found out that Kumar had mortgaged the same flat for a personal loan that he had obtained without her knowledge or consent,” said an officer at the Narayanpur police station where the woman lodged her complaint.

According to the law, when a flat or parcel of land is sold to a third party while there is an outstanding loan on that property, the responsibility to repay the loan transfers to the new owner, a police officer stated.

“Based on the written complaint of Asha Kapoor, a case was started with Narayanpur police station alleging that in the month of May 2024, Kumar, a resident of a housing complex on Rajarhat Main Road, had sold an apartment in the same housing against the payment of ₹21.35 lakh without informing that the property is already mortgaged with Sammaan Finserve Limited and that Kunar had availed a huge loan,” said a senior officer of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate.

During the course of the investigation, the police uncovered that the accused had a particular modus operandi. He would first buy flats in his own name or in the name of his company, then take out loans from banks by mortgaging these properties, and finally sell the same properties to third parties, all the while hiding the existing loan.

According to police reports from March this year, another woman submitted a complaint alleging that she was similarly defrauded by the same individual, having made a payment of ₹41 lakh for a flat that was already mortgaged without her consent.

The complainant in this case is a resident of Haridebpur.

A senior police officer said Kumar will be tagged in the other case in which he has been accused.