Mumbai Police have registered a criminal case in connection with a redevelopment project in Malad West after a commercial unit owner alleged that forged documents and fabricated records were used to compromise her rights under the scheme.
Based on a complaint filed by 68-year-old businesswoman Madhavi Bindu Thackery, the Malad Police have booked office-bearers of Sunita Apartment Co-operative Housing Society, Kamala Homes and Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd., and an unidentified individual on charges of cheating and forgery.
According to the complaint, Thackery owns two commercial premises within the housing society located opposite Sundar Nagar in Malad West. The units, measuring 359 sq ft and 1,720 sq ft respectively, house business operations run through Bombay Motels Private Limited and Mood Restaurant and Bar.
Thackery stated that she became aware in 2012 that the society had initiated plans for redevelopment. She alleged that a structural audit report prepared in 2013 was inaccurate and that the society subsequently entered into a redevelopment agreement with Kamala Homes and Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd. on July 25, 2013. However, she claimed there was little visible progress on the project until 2023.
In her complaint, she further alleged that redevelopment-related documents were not fully disclosed and that incomplete information was circulated to members and authorities. She also claimed that during a society meeting held on January 16, 2025, which she attended with her legal representative, office-bearers failed to provide complete details regarding the redevelopment proposal.
The complainant has alleged that several society meetings and annual general meetings reflected in official records were never actually conducted. She further claimed that notices allegedly issued to her contained forged acknowledgements and signatures and that she had never authorised any individual to represent her interests.
According to the FIR, a redevelopment agreement was registered on March 15, 2025, before the Sub-Registrar. Thackery alleged that the agreement reduced the area she was entitled to receive under the redevelopment scheme, thereby affecting her rights.
She accused the society’s office-bearers, the developer and an unidentified individual of creating fabricated records and forged signatures to deprive her of her entitlements.
Based on the complaint, Malad Police registered an FIR on May 29 under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(3) (forgery) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.
Source: The Free Press Journal
