Chennai: Owner away in Saudi, man takes over building, earns Rs 27 lakh in rent and advance

CHENNAI: The Royapettah police arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly forging documents, illegally taking possession of a woman's property, and renting it out while she was abroad, swindling over Rs 27 lakh.

The arrested man was identified as KP Ashok of Triplicane.

The case came to light after a complaint was filed by Sara Wahab of Perungudi, who owns the building on Gaudiya Mutt Road in Royapettah. The ground floor of her property has three shops, while the first and second floors house four residential units.

Sara lived in the building until 2018 before moving to Saudi Arabia with her parents. At that time, only a photo studio, run by a man named Pullarao, was operational on the ground floor, while the rest of the property was locked.

Due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was unable to return to India until 2022. Upon her return, she learnt that Pullarao had passed away and his son, Ashok, had taken over the studio. He allegedly created forged property documents to pose as the owner of the entire building, and rented out the units after collecting substantial advances from tenants, amassing approximately Rs 27 lakh.

When Sara confronted him, Ashok reportedly threatened to murder her. Fearing for her safety, she temporarily stayed in Perungudi and subsequently filed a formal police complaint.

After an investigation by a team from the Royapettah station confirmed the allegations, a case was registered, and Ashok was arrested on August 20.

After interrogation, the accused was produced before a court on Thursday and has been remanded in judicial custody.