Maple Group heads get pre-arrest bail in housing scam case

Mumbai, Aug 26 (PTI) The Bombay High Court today grantedanticipatory bail to Sachin Agarwal, managing director ofPune-based Maple Real Estate Group, and his brother NaveenAgarwal, both of whom are facing charges of cheating thepeople through misleading advertisement. The duo had issued advertisement in newspapers offeringone BHK flats near Pune for Rs five lakh. The advertisementscarried photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and districtGuardian Minister Girish Bapat. The advertisement, which received a huge response, gavethe wrong impression that the scheme was a government project,according to the Shivajinagar police in Pune who registereda case of cheating in April this year. Applicants’ lawyer Aniket Nikam argued that they had nointention to cheat the flat buyers while launching anaffordable housing scheme, and refunded the money wheneverdemanded by the buyers. The two were cooperatiing with the police in the probeand hence their custodial interrogation was not required,advocate Nikam added. Justice Sadhana Jadhav granted them pre-arrrest bail,asking them to cooperate with police and not to interfere inthe probe. PTI SVSKRK