Chennai man arrested for hijacking absentee owner's property, scamming Rs 27 lakh

CHENNAI: Police from the Royapettah station have arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly forging documents, illegally taking possession of a woman's property, and fraudulently renting it out while she was abroad, swindling over Rs 27 lakh.

The accused has been identified as KP Ashok of Triplicane.

The case came to light after a complaint was filed by Sara Wahab, a resident of Perungudi, who owns a building on Gaudiya Mutt Road in Royapettah. According to her complaint, the ground floor of her property has three shops, while the first and second floors contain a total of four residential units.

Sara stated that she lived in the building until 2018 before moving to Saudi Arabia with her parents. At that time, only one ground-floor shop was operational, run by a man named Pullarao as a photo studio; the rest of the property was locked. Due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was unable to return to India until 2022.

Upon her return, she discovered that Pullarao had passed away and his son, Ashok, had taken over the studio. Shockingly, he had also broken the locks on the vacant shops and apartments. Ashok allegedly posed as the rightful owner of the entire building, created forged property documents, and rented out the units to various tenants after collecting substantial advance payments, amassing approximately Rs 27 lakh.

When Sara confronted him about the fraudulent activity, Ashok reportedly threatened her with murder. Fearing for her safety, she temporarily stayed in Perungudi and subsequently filed a formal police complaint.

Following an investigation by a team led by an Inspector from the Royapettah police station, which confirmed the allegations, a case was registered. Ashok was arrested on August 20, 2025.

After interrogation, the accused was produced before a court on Thursday and has been remanded to judicial custody.