<p>Bengaluru: Forged land documents, negotiations at a luxury hotel, and an unscheduled stop — these were the elements of an elaborate plot masterminded by five real-estate brokers to dupe a Tirupati man of Rs 1 crore, police said.</p>.<p>High Grounds police in central Bengaluru have arrested the five suspects with the help of their call records and CCTV footage.</p>.<p>According to police, Balakrishna, a native of Tirupati, wanted to buy a plot of land in his hometown.</p>.<p>Sanjay Srinivas, one of the five real-estate agents, had known Balakrishna for two years. He thought he could cheat him by forging documents. Sanjay told Balakrishna he knew of a good plot of land in Tirupati and suggested he buy it right away.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Sanjay roped in the other accomplices — Lokanathachari, Prabhakar Reddy, Rajesh, and Ravi Kumar. Srinivas, Lokanathachari, and Rajesh are from Bengaluru. Reddy and Kumar are from Andhra Pradesh.</p>.<p>The five brokers devised an elaborate plan to cheat Balakrishna. They identified an empty plot in Tirupati and created fake documents for it, which they sent to Balakrishna.</p>.<p>Balakrishna was happy with the land and, after several rounds of negotiations, bargained down the price to Rs 1 crore.</p>.<p>The group asked Balakrishna to visit Bengaluru on October 3 to meet the “owner” and “finalise” the deal. When he arrived, they took him to The LaLiT Ashok Hotel on Kumara Krupa Road, where he was asked to make the full payment.</p>.<p><strong>Meeting with ‘owner’</strong></p>.<p>They promised to arrange a meeting with the owner and show him the land later.</p>.<p>Balakrishna claims he made the full payment without meeting the owner or seeing <br>the land. From the hotel, the group took him in a car, ostensibly to show him the land and register it. But about five kilometres into the journey, the group made an unscheduled stop near the Outer Ring Road in Hebbal to have soft drinks.</p>.<p>Balakrishna and the five brokers got out of the car and walked some distance. Moments later, the suspects hurried back to the car and drove off, deserting Balakrishna on the road. They took all the money, too.</p>.<p><strong>Technical evidence</strong></p>.<p>Following Balakrishna’s complaint, police tracked down the suspects by scouring technical evidence.</p>.<p>A court has remanded them in judicial custody, a police officer close to the investigation further said.</p>.<p>Police have seized Rs 65 lakh in cash, gold and silver ornaments, and four cars.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Forged land documents, negotiations at a luxury hotel, and an unscheduled stop — these were the elements of an elaborate plot masterminded by five real-estate brokers to dupe a Tirupati man of Rs 1 crore, police said.</p>.<p>High Grounds police in central Bengaluru have arrested the five suspects with the help of their call records and CCTV footage.</p>.<p>According to police, Balakrishna, a native of Tirupati, wanted to buy a plot of land in his hometown.</p>.<p>Sanjay Srinivas, one of the five real-estate agents, had known Balakrishna for two years. He thought he could cheat him by forging documents. Sanjay told Balakrishna he knew of a good plot of land in Tirupati and suggested he buy it right away.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Sanjay roped in the other accomplices — Lokanathachari, Prabhakar Reddy, Rajesh, and Ravi Kumar. Srinivas, Lokanathachari, and Rajesh are from Bengaluru. Reddy and Kumar are from Andhra Pradesh.</p>.<p>The five brokers devised an elaborate plan to cheat Balakrishna. They identified an empty plot in Tirupati and created fake documents for it, which they sent to Balakrishna.</p>.<p>Balakrishna was happy with the land and, after several rounds of negotiations, bargained down the price to Rs 1 crore.</p>.<p>The group asked Balakrishna to visit Bengaluru on October 3 to meet the “owner” and “finalise” the deal. When he arrived, they took him to The LaLiT Ashok Hotel on Kumara Krupa Road, where he was asked to make the full payment.</p>.<p><strong>Meeting with ‘owner’</strong></p>.<p>They promised to arrange a meeting with the owner and show him the land later.</p>.<p>Balakrishna claims he made the full payment without meeting the owner or seeing <br>the land. From the hotel, the group took him in a car, ostensibly to show him the land and register it. But about five kilometres into the journey, the group made an unscheduled stop near the Outer Ring Road in Hebbal to have soft drinks.</p>.<p>Balakrishna and the five brokers got out of the car and walked some distance. Moments later, the suspects hurried back to the car and drove off, deserting Balakrishna on the road. They took all the money, too.</p>.<p><strong>Technical evidence</strong></p>.<p>Following Balakrishna’s complaint, police tracked down the suspects by scouring technical evidence.</p>.<p>A court has remanded them in judicial custody, a police officer close to the investigation further said.</p>.<p>Police have seized Rs 65 lakh in cash, gold and silver ornaments, and four cars.</p>