Mumbai, July 17: A 41-year-old woman was allegedy cheated and duped of INR 1.25 crore by an old classmate of hers in Mumbai who promised to give her his flat. The accused has been identified as Sandeep Dhanawade, a resident of Dadar's Parsi Colony. It is learnt that the accused cheated the victim by posing as the vice president of a leading software company. So far, the police have not arrested the accused.

The incident came to light after the woman approached the Shivaji Park police on Monday, July 14, and lodged a complaint against the accused, reports Hindustan Times. Acting on her complaint, the police booked the accused for cheating and criminal breach of trust. During the investigation, cops learnt that the complainant, Deepika Patil, was Dhanawad's classmate in school. Piramal Realty Sells Penthouse, 2 Duplex Flats to Single Buyer in Mumbai for over Rs 100 Crore.

They also found that she is a friend of the accused's sister. A resident of Chembur, Patil, who works at an Information Technology firm, was looking to buy a flat in the city. The complainant told cops that she met Dhanawade in 2019, who pretended to be the vice president of a leading IT firm. She also said that the accused claimed to earn INR 6 lakh per month.

During their meeting, the accused told Patil that the Income Tax Department had seized INR 33 crore by freezing his bank account. He also claimed that he had to pay INR 3 crore to unfreeze his account. The accused told Patil that he owned two flats, one each in Shivaji Nagar and another in Parsi Colony, each worth over INR 5 crore. "He was willing to sell the Shivaji Nagar flat for ₹2 crore to Patil," a police officer said. Gold Trading Fraud in Navi Mumbai: Elderly Man Loses INR 73.72 Lakh in New Panvel After Meeting Woman on Dating App.

The officer also said that the accused gained Patil's confidence by showing her a sales agreement, share certificates, and a nominee list. Since March 2019, Patil has paid the accused money for the flat in instalments. She also borrowed INR 76 lakh from her friends to buy the flat and even sold her jewellery for INR 49 lakh. However, after Patil paid Dhanawade INR 1.25 crore, he refused to hand over the flat and even declined to return her money.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).