Mira-Bhayandar: The Kashigaon police have arrested two estate agents for cheating aspiring home buyers including a small-time actor under the pretext of selling cheap residential apartments in Mira Road.

According to the police the accused who have been identified as- Abhinav Mishra and Avinash Dhole had established an office named Divine Era in the Beverly Park area of Mira Road. The duo who also claimed to be builders, had been floating advertisements and reels on social media platforms showcasing low priced flats which were available for sale.

Interested in buying one of the flats, the complainant- Gurudev Sodhi approached the duo who not only showed documents of the property but also introduced a person who they claimed was the seller.

Despite paying Rs 16 lakh towards advance payment last month to get the property registered, the duo started dilly dallying and delaying the process by doling out lame excuses.

Sensing something amiss, Sodhi conducted enquiries with the registrar office and was shocked to learn that the flat was owned by somebody else and the documents which were given to him were fake and fabricated, following which he registered a complaint at the Kashigaon police station.

An offence under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for cheating was registered against three people including the estate agents and the person who impersonated as the owner.

After investigations a team under the supervision of DCP (Zone I)- Prakash Gaikwad arrested the duo on Saturday (21, December). However, the impersonator is still at large.

Investigations conducted so far have revealed the involvement of the accused in seven similar cases of fraud including three which they committed in the jurisdiction of the Kashigaon police. Further investigations were underway.