Woman, associate arrested for ₹2.11-crore housing lease fraud

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Helenrose, 59, of Thiruverkadu, and Premkumar, 50, of Chitlapakkam, who were arrested by the Central Crime Branch on Friday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Central Crime Branch(CCB) has arrested two persons, including a woman, who allegedly ran a fictitious company and cheated 34 house owners and tenants of around ₹2.11 crore by renting houses in the name of their company and subsequently leasing them out to customers online.

According to the police, Fathima Beevi came across an advertisement on OLX in 2023 stating that Helenrose and Premkumar, proprietors of Imayam Homes Property Management, were offering houses on rent and lease in Chennai and its suburbs. She contacted the company and was asked to visit its office on Sridevi Garden Main Road, Valasaravakkam.

Fathima Beevi visited the office, where Helenrose and Premkumar allegedly leased out a house owned by Manikandan, which they had taken on rent in the name of their company, to her for ₹7 lakh. However, the duo allegedly failed to pay the monthly rent to Manikandan. Subsequently, Manikandan asked Fathima Beevi to vacate the house.

During an inquiry, Fathima Beevi learnt that the duo had taken Manikandan’s house on rent in the name of a fictitious company and subsequently leased it to her, collecting ₹7 lakh as lease before going absconding. She lodged a complaint with the Chennai Police Commissioner seeking action against the duo and recovery of her money.

Based on her complaint, the Central Crime Branch registered a case and initiated an investigation.

The probe revealed that Imayam Homes Property Management, the company allegedly floated by Helenrose and Premkumar, was a fictitious entity. They took 34 houses from their owners on rent in the name of the company, and subsequently showed the properties to customers and leased them out, the police said.

The accused allegedly collected around ₹2.11 crore from customers through online transactions, bank transfers and cash. They neither paid rent to the 34 house owners nor returned the lease amounts to the tenants. The accused subsequently shut down the fictitious company and went into hiding, police said.

Following an intensive investigation, the police arrested the absconding accused — Helenrose, 59, of Thiruverkadu and Premkumar, 50, of Chitlapakkam on Friday. Lease and rental documents were seized from them.

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