New Delhi: A retired Delhi High Court judge and his wife have accused a developer and its directors of cheating them and the judge’s late brother-in-law of more than Rs 3.2 crore in connection with a commercial project in Noida that allegedly never took off.According to the complaint, former HC judge ML Varma and his wife, Nita Varma, were approached by the company’s directors in 2010 and persuaded to invest in a proposed commercial project in Sector 15, Noida. The developer allegedly promised to complete the project within 36 months, with a six-month grace period, and offered assured monthly returns in case of delay.The couple initially paid Rs 1 lakh towards a commercial unit and later invested another Rs 71.5 lakh.The complaint states that Naveen Sawhney, Varma’s brother-in-law, was subsequently introduced to the project. He allegedly paid Rs 5 lakh initially and later invested another Rs 73.6 lakh.The three investors thus paid about Rs 1.5 crore towards two commercial units.However, the complainants alleged that even after more than 15 years, no construction has taken place at the site. They claimed the developer repeatedly assured them of the project’s completion and repayment of their investment, and also executed MoUs promising assured returns and refunds.According to the complaint, the developer had promised monthly assured returns of Rs 77,010 to the Varmas and Rs 85,211 to Sawhney. Several cheques allegedly issued by the accused were later dishonoured.The complainants further alleged that the company’s directors admitted that funds collected from investors had been siphoned off.Sawhney died in 2024, following which Nita Varma was substituted as claimant in respect of his investment, the complaint stated.A case has been registered at Hauz Khas police station, and further investigation is underway.
