In a disturbing incident of fraud, an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer has been cheated of Rs 8.38 lakh by a director of a private company and two of his employees. The Chandannagar police have registered a case after the officer, presently stationed at the 13 Base Repair Depot in Air Force Station Prahladpur, New Delhi, was deceived into leasing his flat on Old Mundhwa Road for five years.
According to a Chandannagar police official, the IAF officer posted an advertisement on a real estate website on October 7, 2021, offering his Mundhwa apartment for rent. Subsequently, he received a call from a representative of a private company expressing interest in leasing the apartment for five years, with the condition that the officer covers the cost of furnishing the space.
The officer and the company director entered into a notarized lease agreement, spanning from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2026. The terms included a monthly rent of Rs 50,000, a deposit of Rs 1.5 lakh, and an annual rent increase of 5%. The officer claimed to have transferred Rs 8.38 lakh through four NEFT transactions in 2021 to cover the furnishing cost. However, the promised furniture project never materialized.
Despite repeated assurances from the company personnel that the officer would start receiving monthly rent, no payments were made after December 2021, even though he received rent for that particular month. The complainant, who is the owner of the apartment, discovered that the company officials did not furnish the apartment and had abruptly closed down their operations before disappearing.
The Chandannagar police have initiated an investigation into the case, registering charges against the company director and the two employees involved in the fraudulent scheme.
