Mumbai: The police have arrested a 36-year-old estate agent for duping a woman cancer patient of Rs 40 lakh by luring her with the promise of a Mhada flat under the reserved category.The police said the flat was never handed over to the woman and a Rs 15 lakh partial refund cheque issued by the accused also bounced.The police identified the arrested man as Anil Mane, proprietor of Om Sai Enterprises. The case was registered at the Dadar police station on July 16 on the complaint of a cancer patient.She said she was looking to buy a flat in the Dadar-Parel belt when she was introduced to Mane through a common acquaintance who claimed the accused could arrange for Mhada and mill workers’ flats in Mumbai in July 2021. Mane allegedly showed her a flat in the Srinivas Mill Complex at Lower Parel and offered to facilitate its purchase for Rs 38 lakh.Believing his assurances, the complainant transferred Rs 10 lakh to Om Sai Enterprises through NEFT as a booking amount and later paid additional sums in cash and through bank transactions. The police said Mane executed an agreement acknowledging receipt of the booking amount and assured the complainant that the flat would be transferred to her name.When the promised flat did not materialise, Mane allegedly told the complainant that the government had imposed a stay on the property and asked her to wait. Later, he allegedly offered another flat in the Bombay Dyeing Spring Mill redevelopment project and persuaded her to transfer another Rs 9.5 lakh, claiming it was required for Mhada formalities.The complainant, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2025 and is undergoing treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital, alleged that despite paying a total of Rs 39.46 lakh, she neither received possession of any flat nor got her money back.The police said Mane later executed a promissory note acknowledging receipt of the money and issued a cheque for Rs 15 lakh, which was dishonoured upon presentation. The complainant alleged that when she repeatedly demanded repayment, the accused abused and threatened her with dire consequences.During the investigation, the police found that the accused had allegedly vacated his Ghodapdeo residence in March this year and had been evading arrest. The police recently traced him after he contacted the complainant from a new mobile number. Technical surveillance, including analysis of call detail records and location data, led police to Bhavani Shankar Road in Dadar, where he was apprehended on Sunday.
