A Delhi court has initiated the process of declaring a builder an “absconder” in a case of allegedly cheating home buyers in a project in Greater Noida.
Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Joshi noted that the non-bailable warrants (NBWs) issued against Rahul Chamola, the Director of ‘Nivas Promoters Pvt Ltd’, was received back unexecuted with the report that he was not found at the given address.
“The accused submits that he has changed his address, however, no reason has been furnished for non-intimation of the address to the present court. Further, the interim bail granted to the accused has already expired on March 24, 2022,” the magistrate noted.
He also ordered that the notice about the process be published in a newspaper.
“Today also, the counsel for the accused has prayed for exemption from physical appearance on the ground that the accused is unable to appear before the court as his mother is unwell. The Court is of the view that the grounds taken by the accused are frivolous and intended to avoid appearance before the court,” the magistrate noted in an order passed on December 5.
The court had earlier issued NBWs against the builder.
According to police, Chamola had induced an “innocent” home buyer to purchase flats in his project Oneleaf Troy’ at GH01D, Sector-10, Greater Noida. However, he had failed to deliver the flats to the home buyer and misappropriated the entire amount given in advance.
In order to further dupe people, he changed the name of the project in conspiracy with a man named Shelendra Sharma to ‘Renowned’ launched by Renowned Group through companies owned by Sharma, who is also a co-accused in another FIR against Chamola, the complaint said.
Police had alleged that Chamola used to flaunt his image and relations with cricketer Munaf Patel to entice buyers into investing in the project, which never got completed and left the buyers in the lurch.
