Mumbai: A retired Air India officer was defrauded of ₹21 lakh in Vakola real estate

Mumbai: In the Vakola neighborhood of Mumbai, a former Air India officer was reportedly defrauded of ₹21 lakh after being granted ownership of an apartment that was already the subject of bank seizure procedures. This is a significant example of real estate fraud. Vakola Police have filed a case and started an investigation based on the victim’s allegation.

Sanjay Kamble, a former senior executive of Air India, has been identified as the complaint. He was looking for a new residence with his wife and kid.

The Kamble family was living in the Old Air India Colony in Kalina in October 2024 when they made contact with a real estate agent named Sikander, according to the authorities. The agent told them about an apartment in Krushnadeep Apartment in Santacruz (East) that was offered on a high deposit basis. The family viewed the apartment on December 7, 2024, and thought it was appropriate.

The owner of the apartment, Motiram Devaram Rabari, was then consulted. After a three-year agreement was reached with a ₹26 lakh deposit, a symbolic payment of ₹1 lakh was made online. On January 25, 2025, a recorded agreement was signed in front of the agent, witnesses, the apartment owner, and his wife, Moraki Rabari. On January 31, 2025, the Kamble family moved into the apartment.

When a representative from Piramal Bank visited the apartment on February 28, 2025, the family was taken aback to learn that the property was subject to a house loan and that EMIs had been past due for a considerable amount of time. Seizure procedures have already been started by the bank. According to reports, bank authorities said that there were about 93 lakh in unpaid housing loan debts against the apartment.

The unit owner reportedly hid the facts and received a hefty deposit from the renter despite knowing about the bank action. The victim claimed that he was denied a reimbursement of ₹21 lakh and received evasive responses when he called the apartment owner for explanation.

The Kamble family was forced to leave the apartment on July 10, 2025, when Piramal Bank formally sealed it due to ongoing financial default. The victim then filed a complaint against Motiram Rabari and his wife Moraki Rabari with Vakola Police, alleging financial theft, criminal breach of trust, and cheating.
There is now more research being done on the subject.