Mumbai: In a case involving allegations of cheating flat owners by a developer couple, the lawyer representing the accused said that the couple’s business strategy might have been flawed, but they did not pre-plan the scam.

Parag Thakkar and his wife, Shilpa Thakkar, developers accused of defrauding over a hundred people in a scam involving more than Rs 100 crore, were initially granted bail following their arrest.

However, the defrauded flat buyers pursued justice in the Esplanade Court and achieved partial success. On November 30, 2024, the judge ordered the cancellation of bail for both accused. Subsequently, the police rearrested the Thakkar couple and resumed their interrogation.

Advocate Rajkumar Chaphekar said, "How can anyone preplan a scam? For the project, it was necessary to purchase a large plot of land. If a person starts a business and faces challenges, the project may stall. Our clients have constructed several buildings and completed multiple works as part of the project. In some cases, financial problems arise, and the project remains incomplete."

The advocate added, "No one can preplan such issues in a large-scale project. Developers have to purchase land, obtain permissions, and handle numerous other requirements. Sometimes, a developer’s business strategy goes wrong, which leads to the project getting stuck. The same thing happened with the couple.” He concluded, “We will try again for bail and proceed accordingly.”