The Mumbai Police have booked a Haryana-based businessman on Wednesday for allegedly demanding Rs 1 crore extortion efrom a city-based real estate company.
According to MIDC police, the accused businessman from Faridabad, Haryana had booked a 694 square feet office space in an IT Park built by the complainant’s construction company in Andheri (East) in December 2017.
However, the complainant company asked the accused businessman to submit a Maharashtra government’s IT/ITes certificate as only IT or related businesses companies were allowed to buy space in the said IT park.
Later the complainant company also discovered that the accused businessman had no business in the IT sector.
And as the accused businessman failed to submit the mandatory certificate, the complainant company cancelled his booking and in November 2022, returned the amount paid by him for the office space along with 9% interest as per RERA rules, states the FIR.
However, the businessman was not satisfied with this, and he filed a complaint with RERA demanding 18% interest and Rs 1 crore as compensation, the FIR added.
The businessman also filed a cheating case against the complainant’s company in Haryana.
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The complainant company has claimed in the FIR that the FIR filed in Haryana was false and the accused in March this year demanded Rs 1 crore extortion in order to not file more cases against the company and not to defame it.
He also offered them if they can’t give him money, they can give him office space in their lower parel project, a
police officer said.
The complainant company eventually approached MIDC police and filed a complaint. The police have registered an extortion case and are further investigating the matter.
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