Moniva Sarkar, a Panjab University assistant professor, has been arrested for cheating after defrauding a Mohali resident of Rs18 lakh in a flat sale scam.
In a shocking turn of events, Moniva Sarkar, an assistant professor in the Sociology Department of Panjab University, was arrested on Monday for allegedly committing a fraud of Rs18 lakh in connection with the sale of a flat in the ‘The Lake’ project located in Omaxe township, New Chandigarh.
The arrest follows a complaint filed by Neeraj Kumar, a resident of Mohali, who claimed he struck a deal with Sarkar to buy a flat for Rs1.30 crore through a mutual acquaintance, Ankush Singla. Kumar made an initial payment of Rs18 lakh to Sarkar on September 21, 2023, with an agreement that the flat would be registered in his name by December 5, 2023.
However, Kumar later discovered that Sarkar had sold the flat to another individual and was found to have a Rs92 lakh loan against her name. The fraudulent act was uncovered, and a case was filed against Sarkar under Sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC at the Mullanpur police station on March 15, 2024.
After the case was registered, Sarkar reportedly went into hiding, and efforts were made to mediate the dispute through the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Sarkar was eventually arrested from the Panjab University campus and produced in court, where she was remanded in judicial custody.
This case has raised concerns about the potential misuse of authority and trust by professionals in positions of power, as well as the need for further scrutiny of property dealings.
