The Vellayil police have registered a case against Olympian P.T. Usha and six others who were accused of having involvement in a suspected realty fraud.
The case was registered against them under Section 420 (punishment for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the basis of a petition filed by former international athlete Jemma Joseph.
Quoting the petition, police sources said the accused persons who were associated with a private construction company in the city did not meet their promise to hand over a 1,012 sq ft flat she had booked in the city paying ₹46 lakh in various instalments. The money was handed over to the builders following an assurance given by Ms. Usha about the timely completion of the project she was associated with, they said.
The police said that efforts made by the complainant to get back the paid amount following the breach of contract failed to work out with the alleged non-cooperation of the accused persons. When she contacted them, the directors of the private construction company were holding Ms. Usha accountable for giving back the money which never took place, they said.
It was District Police Chief (Kozhikode city) A.V. George who handed over the petition of Ms. Joseph to the Vellayil police for detailed investigation. The complainant also approached the Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority for action against the private builders and to get back the invested amount.
