In more trouble for Michael Ferreira, the former world billiards champion has been booked along with six others for allegedly cheating a senior citizen by selling his property using forged documents.
"Based on a complaint filed by one Cyril Edmond Henriques (87), an FIR was registered on November 13 last year against Michael Ferreira, his four relatives - Peter Dominic Ferreira,
Josh George, Mark Ferreira, Peter Herrence Ferreira (who is dead now) - and two builders Manish Agrawal and Sanjay Agrawal (the buyers of the property) on charges of cheating and forgery," said Deepak Bagawe, Senior Inspector of Gorai police station.
They have been booked under Sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 474 (knowing it to be forged and intending to use it as genuine), 447 (criminal trespass) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, he added.Police is now preparing to issue a "lookout notice" against the former sportsperson.
75-year-old Ferreira, who is also wanted for questioning in connection with Rs 425-crore scam allegedly spearheaded by a multi-level marketing firm QNet, has been dodging a lookout notice issued recently by Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police.
According to police, Cyril had approached cops alleging that Ferreira sold his one acre plot in Malad to two builders, (who are cousins) for Rs 11 lakh, using forged documents some years ago. The value of the plot was estimated to be over Rs two crore when it was sold.
Cyril, a retired employee from Larsen and Toubro and resident of Bandra, claimed that his father Elias Cosmos had bought a one-acre from Ferreira's father at Gorai in Malad in 1935 for Rs 450. Elias had purchased the property in the name of his wife, Shera Merry Henriques.Cyril's parents are dead now.
Realising a lot of unusual activity on his open plot, Cyril approached police at Gorai which conducted an enquiry following which an FIR was registered against Ferreira, his relatives and two builders last year.
"Ferreira is wanted and we are preparing to issue a Look Out Notice (in this case)," Bagawe said.
Ferreira, who is believed to be abroad presently, is also facing heat from EOW in connection with the case of QNet, which has been accused of using the banned binary pyramid business model for their multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes to entice investors.
The lookout notice is a circular issued against a person when he/she is wanted by police either for questioning or for the purpose of arrest in any case.
It is circulated at all immigration checks at international borders (like airports/sea ports) and as soon as the person is spotted, the authorities concerned are notified.