Maharashtra: Minister's letterhead forged to dupe flat buyers

Mumbai: Two cases in which fake letterheads of Maharashtra housing minister Ravindra Waikar were used to dupe MHADA flat aspirants by promising them flats under the government quota have come to light.

An official from the housing department said a Jogeshwari resident had given a cheque of Rs 25,000 to the fraudsters and it was cleared by the bank.

The minister himself has registered a complaint at the suburban Jogeshwari police station and has also asked MHADA, the state housing agency, to conduct an inquiry.

MHADA conducts a lottery for flats built by it in the city every year.

"There is a possibility of a nexus between fraudsters and MHADA officials. Without help from somebody in MHADA nobody can dare print fake letterheads of a minister," Waikar said.

The fake letterhead carries the national emblem in the left corner, 'Government of Maharashtra' written in the centre and Waikar's name and designation in the right corner.