Police looking into allotment of DDA flats
Staff Reporter
http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/03/stories/2009010358180100.htm NEW DELHI: Just a fortnight after the Delhi Development Authority allotted over 5,000 flats in the Capital through draw of lots amid much fanfare, the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police has initiated an inquiry into allegations of use of fraudulent methods by certain property dealers to secure allotment under the reserved category. The draw for the 5,238 flats was held on December 16.
The inquiry is being conducted on the basis of a complaint by Indian Justice Party leader Udit Raj alleging that a large number of fake forms had been submitted seeking allotment of flats under the Scheduled Tribes category.
"I suspect that over 2,500 forged forms were submitted. In the last week of October I had approached the DDA through an application under the Right to Information Act seeking the list of ST applicants for the flats to cross-check the facts. But one month later, I was told to contact another department. They could have instead diverted the application to the department concerned," he said on Friday.
Mr. Udit Raj said he somehow managed to get information about 150 applicants. "A couple of them told me that they had never applied for allotment of flats. Days before the draw, I lodged a complaint with the police seeking investigations into the matter," he said, alleging that a DDA official could be involved in the fraud.
He said he came to know about an agent with a multinational bank through whom over 2,500 applications were processed by taking loans for the initial amount. "I suspect that the applications were submitted using forged documents and even fake PAN cards were used," alleged Mr. Udit Raj.
"When I raised the matter, my party members started receiving threats. We managed to catch one of the persons involvedÂ…..and handed him over to the police," said Mr. Udit Raj, raising suspicion that the scam could run into hundreds of crores.
On Friday, an EOW team visited Mr. Udit Raj to discuss various aspects of the case. It is learnt that the EOW has also issued notices to the DDA and the bank concerned seeking information.
The DDA had received 566,906 applications seeking allotment of flats under its Housing Scheme-2008. The draw for allotments was held in the presence of four judges and media. Of the 5,238 flats, 28 per cent were reserved for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, war widows, ex-Servicemen and physically handicapped.
