9A Short Street

Ten officers of the detective department questioned industrialist Sanjay Sureka on Tuesday, most of the queries focussing on how he got 9A Short Street registered in his name before making full payment for the property.

Sureka, the chairman and managing director of the Concast group, had told Metro that he had paid Rs 9 crore as advance and would have paid the remaining Rs 12 crore after getting possession of the property. Before the full payment was made, the property belonging to Mumbai-based property firm Heartline Estate was registered in favour of Sureka and his wife Swapna.

“Sureka claimed that he lost interest in the property after Parag Majmudar (a real estate agent who had allegedly played conduit in the sale of 9A to the industrialist) failed to get the plot vacated in six months. He said Majmudar had registered the property in Sureka’s name to win back his faith,” said an officer of the detective department.

Sources close to Sureka said the cops had collected copies of documents related to 9A Short Street, such as the search report prepared by the solicitor firm hired by the Surekas, registered deed of conveyance and mutation certificate, and also details of the cheques given by the Surekas to Majmudar.

The sleuths have also apparently got hold of copies of the communication between the Surekas and Heartline.

According to the police, Sureka could furnish proof of Majmudar, now in custody, returning a part of the advance after the industrialist wanted to get out of the deal.

“Sureka had said that after Majmudar had failed to hand over the property to him, he had sought refund of Rs 9 crore. He said Majmudar had returned Rs 1.8 crore in three cheques drawn on his wife’s account. We have sought details of the three cheques,” said an officer.

Sureka has said a land broker named Kamal Agarwal introduced him to Majmudar, said police sources.

The industrialist was also asked how much brokerage he had paid for the property and how he ascertained that Majmudar had been appointed by Heartline to deal with him.

Sureka’s name had cropped up as one of the suspects who could have hired Majmudar to get 9A Short Street vacated. Two bouncers were gunned down at the property in an alleged eviction bid on November 11.