NOIDA: The Sector 51 guest house from where 18 people, including eight managers, were arrested earlier this week for their alleged involvement in a sex racket, belongs to a company which has links with a controversial BJP MLA from the Kanpur Dehat area, TOI has learnt.
The three-storey building (B-52) is owned by AVP Buildtech Private Limited, a construction and engineering venture which rented out the property to the eight managers as per an agreement. One of the company’s directors is the father of Vinod Kumar Katiyar, the MLA from Bhognipur assembly constituency of Kanpur Dehat. Till some years back, the MLA, himself served as a director in the company.
ACP-3 (Noida) Shyamjeet Singh told TOI that the building was indeed registered in the name of AVP Buildtech. “The company had given the property on rent to the accused. Ramesh, one of the managers, and others had been running the sex racket from here. We have contacted the MLA but he has denied having any links with the accused and said they were unaware about the activities going on there. A probe is on.” When contacted, the MLA said that the company had simply given the property on lease to the tenants and was unaware about the activities. “The property had been rented out some three months ago. The company would not know about what these people had been doing inside. Some people did something wrong and have been jailed. Moreover, I resigned from the company four years back.” Earlier, in 2019, the Delhi Police’s economic offenses wing (EOW) lodged an FIR against five directors of the company as well as the MLA for allegedly duping investors of the real estate project of the company. TOI reported in January 2019 that the company was accused of putting up advertisements of the housing project “AVP Orchard” on a track of land in Noida. “Induced by the advertisements, several investors approached the company at its registered office in Delhi. Then, Katiyar and his co-director Sanjeev Abrol had introduced themselves as authorised representatives of the firm along with the others and presented a rosy picture during negotiations,” as per the FIR lodged by the EOW. The accused had also promised to complete the project by May 2014, the complainants said. Buyers were asked to pay different sums as part of installments. By 2014, they had paid 95%, however, during verification, it was found that only half the project was complete.
