In a disturbing case of fraud exploiting the hopes of home seekers, the Sayajiganj police in Vadodara have registered a formal cheating case against an individual accused of swindling money from four people. The scam revolved around false promises of securing affordable housing under the central government's flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The Modus Operandi of the PMAY Fraud
The accused, identified as Sanjay Prajapati, allegedly posed as an authorized agent or middleman for the housing scheme. According to the police complaint, he approached potential victims with the offer of facilitating a PMAY house for a significant upfront fee. In total, Prajapati is reported to have fraudulently collected over Rs 1.78 lakh from the four complainants.
The case came to light based on a complaint filed by one of the victims, Gulabsingh Jadav. Jadav stated that Prajapati assured him he could secure a PMAY house for an initial payment of Rs 50,000. Trusting the accused, Jadav filled out an application form and submitted all necessary documents as instructed.
How the Victims Were Lured and Duped
After the initial documentation, Prajapati contacted Jadav again, this time stating that an additional amount was required for "processing" the application. Following this direction, Jadav transferred a sum of Rs 59,000 to Prajapati via an online transaction. For about a month, Jadav waited patiently for an update on his supposed home allotment.
When Jadav finally reached out to Prajapati for a progress report, he was given vague assurances and told that the official allotment letter would be delivered soon. This delay and the evasive responses raised Jadav's suspicions, prompting him to investigate further. It was during this time that he made a shocking discovery: Sanjay Prajapati had used the same deceptive tactics to take money from at least three other individuals in the area, all under the identical pretext of arranging PMAY houses.
Police Action and Ongoing Investigation
Upon realizing the scale of the deception, Gulabsingh Jadav approached the Sayajiganj police station and filed a formal complaint. The police have since registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to cheating and breach of trust. An investigation is currently underway to trace the accused, Sanjay Prajapati, and recover the defrauded money.
This incident serves as a stark warning for citizens aspiring to benefit from government welfare schemes. Authorities consistently advise the public to apply through official channels and to be wary of any individual demanding large cash payments for scheme-related services.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is designed to be a transparent process, and no legitimate agent should ask for substantial offline payments for basic processing. Potential beneficiaries are urged to verify all information on the official PMAY portal and report any suspicious activity to the police immediately.
