Builder’s employee embezzles Rs 24.8 lakh collected as fees from homebuyers in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: A real estate company has accused one of its employees of siphoning off nearly Rs 24.8 lakh collected from homebuyers towards stamp duty and legal documentation charges for property registration.

Based on a complaint lodged by the firm, Bodakdev police registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against a staff member who allegedly collected money from customers but failed to deposit it for the intended purpose.

On behalf of the company, the sales collection manager initiated criminal proceedings after discrepancies surfaced in collections linked to a residential project in Chandlodia comprising 480 flats and 29 shops. The project was launched in July 2022.

The complaint states that the accused employee, a resident of New Maninagar, was entrusted with coordinating online stamp-duty payments and registration formalities for flat purchasers. As part of his responsibilities, he allegedly contacted customers using the company mobile number and collected amounts towards govt stamp duty as well as a fixed legal documentation fee of Rs 20,000 per flat.

The complainant alleged that whenever buyers were unable to make online payments and opted to pay in cash, the money was required to be deposited with designated company personnel. However, irregularities came to light in March 2026 when several flat purchasers approached the company, claiming that despite paying stamp duty and legal charges, their registration-related documents had not been processed.

When questioned about the cash collections, the employee allegedly assured company officials that he would reconcile and settle the accounts within two to three days. However, according to the complaint, he stopped reporting to work from the following day.

An internal verification conducted by the company allegedly revealed that substantial sums collected from customers had not been deposited. The complaint states that stamp-duty payments ranging from approximately Rs 1.9 lakh to Rs 2.2 lakh per flat were collected in several cases.

According to the company’s findings, a total of Rs 13.8 lakh collected towards stamp duty and legal expenses was allegedly not deposited. The complainant further alleged that legal fees amounting to Rs 11.6 lakh were collected from 58 buyers and similarly remained unaccounted for.

The combined amount allegedly misappropriated stands at Rs 24.8 lakh. Police registered a case and initiated an investigation into the allegations.