CBI unearths property racket involving DDA officials

New Delhi: CBI has busted a racket by property dealers who allegedly revived cancelled flats illegally in collusion with DDA officials and made huge profits selling them at premium rates.

The flats involved are those which were advertised in 1979 but got cancelled after the allottees failed to pay up. CBI in its probe has found that in 2007-08, the property dealers approached these allottees who, against payment for the cancelled flats, agreed to sell them their allotment letters. CBI sources said that the property dealers, who were allegedly acting in collusion with some DDA officials, forged backdated applications on behalf of the allottees stating they had not received their allotment letters due to a change of address. These backdated letters were then placed in old files which are stored as part of the records of the civic body. With the help of these forged letters present on file, property dealers managed to press the point that despite the allottees having informed DDA about the change of address, they did not receive allotment letters, hence their allotments should be revived. Citing the letters, they sought fresh allotment of flats at the old rates and managed to obtain Low and High-Income Group and Self-Financed Scheme flats which had already been cancelled by DDA. CBI has so far managed to track three such cases, sources said, adding that proper scrutiny was being done of allotments of a total of 250 flats advertised in 1979. Six DDA officials, original allottees of the flats, and several property dealers have been accused by CBI of cheating and forgery along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. PTI