The Antop Hill police has arrested an estate agent who allegedly helped illegal immigrants get homes in the Mhada transit camp buildings in Antop Hill.
The accused, along with at least three more absconding agents, broke the seal and lock of the rooms in the government buildings and rented them to people on hefty rents. The police claimed that most of the benefactors were from Bangladesh.
The accused is identified as Khalil Janu Sayyed (44). According to the police, the complainant, Jalinder Pandurang Sawant, supervisor of Venkatesh Security Service Limited, which was given the task of providing security to the fourth and fifth floors of the state owned Shivshahi Rehabilitation Project building number-6 in Antop Hill was alerted by a guard about the illegal activity.
“The guard informed the security agency that a few agents have broken the seal and the locks of the rooms, and given it on rent. The agency then sent Mr Sawant for inspection, who after making inquiries with the tenants, learnt that agents by name of Habid, Sunny, Shaheed and Sayyed had rented out those rooms,” said an officer from the Antop Hill police station.
Mr Sawant informed his agency’s director and lodged an offence with the Antop Hill police on June 17.
The police, on learning that one of the accused Khalil Sayyed was about to visit the Vasant Dada Chowk in Antop Hill, laid a trap and nabbed him. Senior PI Narendra Vichare has confirmed Sayyed’s arrest.
According to another officer, the accused have
fraudulently pocketed around `80,000.