Goa Property Scam: Mumbai-Based Film Director Siddharth Jena Duped of Rs 1.53 Crore; Case Registered

Film director Siddharth Jena (50) was swindled out of Rs 1.53 crore by ten individuals who promised lucrative returns from investing in land and flats in Goa. Bangur Nagar police have charged Vikramdev Darshanram Malhotra, Ritu Vikramdev Malhotra, Maria Fernandes, Ralston Pinto, Leena Mandrekar, Pramod Mandrekar, Leo Dias, Rashmi Chodankar, Judo Sally Gomes, and Sainath Patekar under IPC sections 34, 406, 409, and 420.

In 2020, Vishal Sinha met Jena for film-related work. Jena expressed his desire to move to Goa and asked Sinha if he knew any reliable estate agents. Sinha recommended Vikramdev Malhotra, stating that he had helped him acquire property in Goa. Sinha highlighted Malhotra's long-standing real estate dealings in the area.

Also Read | Mumbai: MahaRERA Proposes Three Bank Accounts to Avoid Real Estate Fraud.

In November 2020, Sinha introduced Jena to Malhotra during a film shoot. Malhotra and his wife Ritu later visited Jena's residence in Koregaon, presenting themselves as real estate agents. They showed Jena the website ritsproperty.co, which they claimed facilitated land and flat transactions in Goa.

Jena saw photos of three or four plots on the ritsproperty website. Malhotra assured Jena he would handle the entire transaction. In early December 2020, Jena visited Goa to inspect the plots. Malhotra showed him four plots, and Jena chose one in Rodrigues Vaddo, North Goa, priced at Rs 84 lakhs.

For a public announcement about the land transaction, Jena transferred Rs 25,000 to Malhotra's bank account. After 45 days, Malhotra confirmed no objections were raised regarding the property. On February 14, 2021, the Malhotras visited Jena's Goregaon residence in Mumbai, where Jena issued cheques of ₹5 lakhs each to landowners Maria Fernandes and Ralston Pinto.

In March 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic halted all businesses. Meanwhile, Malhotra kept contacting his acquaintances in Goa—Leena Mandrekar, Pramod Mandrekar, Leo Dias, Rashmi Chodankar, Judo Sally Gomes, and Sainath Patekar—claiming the landowners were desperate to sell at lower prices due to financial constraints.

Malhotra assured Jena the land's value would triple in the future. Trusting this, Jena agreed to buy four plots shown on Malhotra’s phone. Jena paid Rs 48.50 lakhs through bank transfers and cash for the land. He also transferred Rs 91 lakhs to Malhotra’s bank account. Additionally, Jena transferred Rs 7.5 lakhs to Malhotra from his son Augustya's bank account, which was meant for his son's education. Malhotra returned this amount on December 31, 2022, but avoided returning the rest of the money.

For two years, the Malhotras delayed transferring the land to Jena's name and avoided returning his money. On July 16, 2023, a cheque from Malhotra to Jena bounced due to a blocked account. Feeling deceived, Jena filed a complaint at Bangur Nagar Police Station. The police are now investigating the case further.