Pimpri Chinchwad police have arrested a 45-year-old transport operator for allegedly using forged documents to obtain a flat under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Bhosari, while his wife and an agent have also been booked in the case.
The Anti-Terrorism Branch (ATB) arrested the man on Thursday after receiving information that a family had secured a PMAY flat by submitting false documents. Police said the case emerged during a review of the beneficiary list, where officers noticed a woman’s name they considered unusual for the region and questioned the couple about their eligibility documents.
According to Inspector V D Raut of the ATB, the couple produced Maharashtra domicile certificates and the man submitted a salary slip from a company where he claimed to have worked. Police found that the company belonged to his sister and that he had not worked there, Raut said.
During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted that he was originally from Uttar Pradesh. Police said he had already possessed a domicile certificate from Uttar Pradesh but, with the assistance of an agent, obtained documents intended to establish Maharashtra domicile. These allegedly included a fabricated school-leaving certificate from a junior college in Khadki and his father’s school-leaving certificate from a school in Dharashiv district.
The agent is accused of preparing forged documents for both the man and his wife and obtaining Maharashtra domicile certificates for them in 2021. The couple’s alleged use of those certificates formed part of the police inquiry into how the PMAY flat was secured.
Police have booked the accused, his wife and the agent under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code for cheating, forgery and using forged documents as genuine. The allegations have not been tested in court.
The flat was allotted through the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and police have written to the authority about the alleged fraud. The communication could enable the agency to examine the allotment records and determine the status of the housing unit, although the report does not state whether the allotment has been cancelled or whether possession has been recovered.
The Bhosari MIDC police are conducting further investigation. The case places attention on the document checks used in public housing allotments, including verification of domicile certificates, employment claims and family records before benefits are approved.
