Mumbai Fraud: 43-Year-Old Man Poses As TCS Vice President, Cheats Childhood Friend Of ₹1.25 Crore In Fake Property & Frozen Funds Scam; Probe Underway

Mumbai: In a shocking case of betrayal and deception, the Shivaji Park Police have registered a case against a 43-year-old Sandeep Anant Dhanawade, for allegedly defrauding a childhood friend out of Rs 1.25 crore by fabricating a story about frozen assets and offering fake property deals in return.

According to the complaint filed by Deepika Jayendra Patil, 41, a resident of Ghatla Village Road, Chembur, and an operations manager at Wipro Ltd. in Airoli, the accused is her childhood friend.

Dhanawade allegedly claimed that he was working as a vice president at Tata Consultancy Services in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), and that Rs 33 crore of his funds had been frozen by the Income Tax Department. He told Patil that he needed Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore to release the seized funds.

Patil, trusted Dhanawade due to their long-standing friendship. Between March 2019 and July 2021, Dhanawade allegedly lured her into providing financial help by promising to transfer ownership of one of his residential properties – either a flat at Mount Pleasant, Five Gardens in Dadar East, or another near Saket, CSH Bal Mohan Vidyamandir, Shivaji Park – to her name.

Trusting the documents shown by the accused, including a sale agreement, share certificate, and other property papers in her name (with her daughter's name listed as nominee), Patil provided him with Rs 76 lakh in cash and an additional Rs 49 lakh by selling her gold jewelry.

Further details from the police reveal that Patil transferred Rs 38.31 lakh directly to Dhanawade’s ICICI Bank account, deposited Rs 24.30 lakh in cash via ATMs, and handed over Rs 13.40 lakh in person at various locations including Sofitel Hotel in BKC, Chembur Railway Station, Ambedkar Garden, and near her residence.

However, Patil later discovered that Dhanawade had no intention of returning the money, or transferring any assets, leading her to file a complaint.

Based on her statement, the Shivaji Park Police have booked Sandeep Dhanawade under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. The investigation is ongoing.

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