New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) Police Tuesday said they have arrested one of the key accused financers in the multi-million Delhi Development Authority (DDA) housing scam.
“We arrested Jeetram Monday. We were looking for him for some time for his role in financing the scam,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amulya Patnaik told IANS.

“He is among those who provided money to former DDA official M.L. Gautam. There are more financiers involved in the case and we hope they will also be arrested soon,” Patnaik added.

Over 500,000 people applied for 5,238 flats under the DDA housing scheme 2008. But the housing scheme got mired in controversies amid allegations of fake applications. The scam came to light earlier this year.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police, started investigations after a man who was allotted a flat in the draw of lots told the police that he had not even applied for a flat.

Investigations revealed that a group of people conspired to buy several flats in the names of those from reserved categories like the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes who were eligible for the flats but could not afford them. The conspirators meant to sell off these flats later for huge profits.

So far the EOW has arrested Deepak Kumar, who allegedly blew the lid off the scam after he fell out with some fellow real estate agents, retired DDA employee M.L. Gautam, real estate agents - Raju Ram, Laxmi Narayan Meena and Vijay Pal.

Satbir Singh and Dinesh Dral were arrested for forging the documents to open bank accounts in fictitious names. And the last one arrested March 19 was Suresh Kumar Meena, a Delhi based real estate agent.

The EOW has been probing the roots of the scam in various states.

Earlier this month, the agency filed its charge sheet in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Bansal slapping several charges against the accused, including cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.