The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Haryana Police has arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly cheating individuals under the pretext of allotting flats in a housing society located in Sector 55, Gurgaon. The accused, identified as Anubhav Bhardwaj, a resident of Mohan Garden, Delhi, was apprehended on June 8 at Delhi Airport while reportedly planning to flee to Indonesia. A lookout circular had been issued against him last year.
Details of the Case
According to police, the case was registered at the Sector 56 police station following a complaint from a woman. She alleged that her husband's former colleague, Ishpal Bhardwaj, induced her to invest in a flat in Sunehra Apna Ghar Society between 2006 and 2007. She paid approximately Rs 37.5 lakh in installments from 2008 to 2013. Ishpal Bhardwaj had informed the couple that after leaving his job in the Air Force, he worked with a private bank before venturing into the real estate business. He allegedly offered them a discounted flat in Sector 55 on Golf Course Road and showed them several completed projects, including a residential complex called Chandra Housing Society in Sector 55, adjacent to the proposed Sunehra Apna Ghar housing society.
Modus Operandi
The accused offered the couple a 3BHK house measuring 1,440 square feet and took Rs 4 lakh as an advance, which was 10% of the total Rs 40 lakh, along with their documents. By 2010, the couple had paid Rs 20 lakh, after which Ishpal Bhardwaj provided them with a share certificate, allotment letter, flat plan, and a list of 94 members. Following the valuation of the flat, the woman paid an additional Rs 17.5 lakh. She alleged that construction progressed until 2013 but then ceased entirely.
After construction stopped, the family did not receive a refund, leading to the registration of a cheating case in April 2017. During the investigation, the EOW discovered that Ishpal Bhardwaj, along with five other accused—his son Anubhav, brother-in-law Pradeep, brother Sandeep, Amit Kumar, and Jagbir—had allegedly collected money from 242 applicants but failed to provide refunds. The society had only 94 flats, and the investigation revealed that Anubhav was not an authorized representative of the society but was involved in signing a fake memorandum of understanding with another company for the sale of flats.
Financial Misappropriation
Police further alleged that the accused opened a fake bank account in the name of the society and deposited crores of rupees collected from the public into it. The money was reportedly misappropriated by them. Anubhav Bhardwaj was produced before a court on June 9 and remanded to two days of police custody. The police team is questioning him regarding the recovery of the cheated amount, identification of other accused, and financial transactions linked to the case.
The arrest marks a significant step in the investigation of this large-scale real estate fraud in Gurgaon. Authorities are continuing their efforts to trace the siphoned funds and bring all perpetrators to justice.
