Property dealer arrested in DDA housing scam

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) A Delhi-based property dealer, allegedly involved in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) housing scam, was arrested after evading the police for about two months, police said Friday.

Suresh Kumar Meena, a resident of Shalimar Bagh in northwest Delhi, was arrested Thursday by the Economics Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police from Dhaula Kuan while he was trying to take a bus to Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, Joint Commissioner (Crime) Amulya Patnaik told reporters here.

Meena's name surfaced during interrogation of five other persons arrested by the police earlier, said Patnaik. A non-bailable warrant was also issued against Meena in January but the police could not manage to catch him. Later, a court declared him a proclaimed offender.

With Meena's arrest, the number of people arrested for the scam has risen to eight.

Over 500,000 people applied for 5,238 flats under the DDA housing scheme 2008 and the draw of lots was held Dec 16, but soon there were allegations that it was rigged.

The EOW 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. It is probing a complaint that a cartel of property dealers was trying to corner the DDA flats reserved for applicants from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category.