A designated court on Friday remanded five partners of 'Suchit Developers' to judicial custody until July 1 in a case of allegedly cheating a 64-year-old widow of Rs1 crore by not handing over a flat she bought in Bandra West in 2005.

Mumbai: A designated court on Friday remanded five partners of 'Suchit Developers' to judicial custody until July 1 in a case of allegedly cheating a 64-year-old widow of Rs1 crore by not handing over a flat she bought in Bandra West in 2005.

However, the elderly's lawyer, Ghanshaym Upadhyay, claimed that the investigation officer (IO) is acting in collusion with the accused – Lachman Sajnani, Anil Sajnani, Dilip Manghnani, Anant Rane and Vikrant Vaidya. “Usually, police custody is sought during the second remand. However, in this case, the police asked for judicial custody, which is shocking."

"IO Sudarshan Gaikwad was even absent in the court, making it quite clear that he has been acting in collusion with the accused. Hence, their police custody was not demanded to facilitate grant of bail," Upadhyay alleged.

He continued, “This is a serious matter. My client, Meena Tarwani, was cheated by the developers. Earlier too, we complained about the IO to the court, which ordered the police commissioner to take action against him.” Regarding the latest episode of being absent in the court, a complaint will be filed against the erring police personnel, Upadhyay added.

According to the police, Tarwani purchased a flat in a project by Suchit Developers in December 2005 for Rs 97.1 lakh; of which she paid Rs 85 lakh. Her lawyer said she did not receive possession despite paying an additional Rs 15 lakh in 2015. She and her son approached the Bandra police, who initially classified the matter as a civil dispute and refused to register an FIR.

Tarwani then approached the Bombay High Court, which directed the police to act. Finally, an FIR was filed under the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors Act. However, the cops refused to make arrests or probe the case, Upadhyay said. Following the court's intervention, the accused were arrested on June 24 and sent to police custody until June 28.