New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Delhi Police Thursday said they have arrested a real estate agent for selling one of the flats, allotted in the name of one of the fake applicants, in the multi-million Delhi Development Authority (DDA) housing scam.
Sleuths of Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) arrested Vijay Kumar Verma, a resident of Paschim Vihar in west Delhi, Wednesday.

According to the police, Verma had actively participated in the crime by letting his office premises, Lucky Properties in the Shalimar Bagh area to be used by the accused Vijay Pal, Suresh and Deepak Kumar for the purpose of filling up the DDA forms. All the three have already been arrested.

“Verma had also helped the accused Vijay Pal in selling one of the flats, allotted in the name of one of the proxy applicants at a premium of Rs. 400,000,” said a senior police officer, adding that they were trying to secure police custody of Verma from a city court for further questioning.

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

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, and 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. Suresh Kumar Meena, a Delhi-based real estate agent, was arrested March 19 and the last one to be arrested was Jeet Ram - one of the key financiers - April 27.

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

Last 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.