LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Development Authority has filed an FIR after 18 individuals were defrauded out of lakhs of rupees for housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Basant Kunj. The victims received counterfeit allotment letters and registration certificates, which were discovered to be forged during the investigation.
This issue surfaced when the deceived applicants approached the authority after they were unable to take possession of their homes. Following the directive of LDA Vice Chairman Prathamesh Kumar, a case was registered at Gomti Nagar police station.
Deputy Secretary (PMAY) Atul Krishna Singh stated that a complaint was submitted by Jan Samasya Nivaran Sansthan, revealing that 18 people fell victim to a scam by a man falsely claiming to be an LDA employee, named Mohd Talib. He, along with an accomplice, assured them of housing in Basant Kunj for an initial payment of Rs 55,000, followed by another instalment of Rs 1.10 lakh. In total, they were cheated out of over Rs 26 lakh via UPI transactions.
Investigations revealed that there was no employee named Talib at LDA, and the documents given to the victims were fraudulent. The LDA also clarified that registration for 72 EWS flats in Dalibagh has not commenced. LDA VC Prathamesh Kumar remarked, “PMAY buildings are allocated through a lottery system in the presence of the applicants, ensuring transparency.”
