Ghost housing: Woman moves court over bogus scheme

Says accused have not handed over her plot despite complete payment

LAHORE: A woman moved a district and sessions court, seeking the registration of a first information report (FIR) against a group allegedly selling nonexistent plots for a ghost housing scheme.

Petitioner Rabia Usman told the court that Malik Waris, Imran, Tahir, Anwar, Musharraf and others introduced the Perl Garden Housing Scheme in Kahna.

She said that the suspects were operating out of their main office in Model Town. Usman claimed that on November 28,2012, she purchased plot 6-A in Block B on installments and it measured 3 marla.

She added installments had been paid and the petitioner demanded possession of the plot. She said the suspects first started stalling the matter and later told her that they would return double the amount if the land was not handed over.

Ultimately, she said, the accused party refused to either pay the amount or give her possession. She told the court that the respondents were now sending her death threats. Usman said that these individuals were deceiving poor people through this housing scheme, while concerned authorities remained silent spectators.

She prayed the court direct the SHO to register an FIR against accused the suspects and ensure that double her investment is returned.

Advocate Arshad Janjua, counsel for the petitioner, said that accused were running a bogus scheme and minting money from poor people. He said a lot of people had been duped by the accused.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2016.