Mumbai: More than a year after the massive fire at Link Square Mall, the Khar police have registered an FIR against the office-bearers of the mall’s cooperative society, alleging that Rs 2.73 crore in property tax they collected from members was not paid to the BMC, which in turn led to outstanding dues soaring to Rs 4.47 crore, including penalties. The FIR accused the society’s former secretary, treasurer and another office-bearer of criminal breach of trust, cheating and other offences linked to the society’s financial management.According to the FIR, the office-bearers had not paid property tax to the BMC since 2019, despite collecting it from members. Over Rs 2.73 crore worth of unpaid property tax dues led to an outstanding penalty amount of Rs 1.68 crore, which made the total outstanding property tax to be paid at Rs 4.47 crore, the FIR alleged, adding that the office-bearers didn’t appoint auditors or place audited accounts before members.Another major allegation was that the society, comprising 198 shops and a restaurant, has not held elections for nearly two decades and that the accused continued to control its affairs without conducting statutory audits or annual general meetings. It further alleged that maintenance charges collected from shop owners over the years were not properly accounted for and that members were repeatedly denied access to audit reports, bank statements and financial records.The FIR comes after several shop owners had submitted a detailed complaint to police in March this year seeking registration of a criminal case for alleged financial misappropriation, forgery and destruction of records.The complaint links the alleged irregularities to the massive fire that broke out at Link Square Mall on April 29, last year, claiming the blaze destroyed society records and hampered scrutiny of its financial affairs. The Mumbai Fire Brigade’s inquiry into the fire had pointed to serious fire safety deficiencies, including non-functional firefighting systems, and recommended action against those responsible for certifying the mall’s fire safety, besides a structural audit.The FIR also referred to proceedings before the Bombay High Court; following petitions by affected stakeholders, the court directed the deputy registrar of Cooperative Societies to decide whether an administrator should be appointed for the society. The deputy registrar, while replacing the society with a board of authorised officer, appointed the husband of the accused society secretary as its member, the FIR alleged.
