Mumbai: A couple has been booked for allegedly cheating six doctors of nearly ₹40 lakh after promising to lease them a property in Malad for a multi-speciality hospital, only for the doctors to later discover that the premises had been mortgaged. Police said the accused returned only ₹10 lakh despite repeated demands, prompting the victims to approach the Charkop police five years later.Couple booked for duping 6 doctors of ₹40L in fake hospital lease dealThe accused, Pawan Bairagara and Urmila Bairagara, have been booked for cheating and criminal breach of trust.According to the complaint, Dr Sagar Vilas Karvir, who runs Ayush Nursing Home in Kandivali, and five other doctors were searching for a larger premises to start a hospital. During treatment at Karvir’s nursing home, the couple allegedly learnt about the plan and offered to lease them the basement, ground and first floors of Banarasi Heights in Mindspace, Malad.Police said Pawan claimed he had constructed the building and owned the property. Convinced by his representations, the doctors agreed to lease the premises at a monthly rent of ₹10.58 lakh and paid ₹49.85 lakh in advance towards a six-month deposit.The deal unravelled in June 2021 when the couple allegedly disclosed that the property had been mortgaged for a loan taken by their nephew. The doctors immediately cancelled the agreement and demanded their money back.Police said the couple refunded ₹10 lakh but failed to return the remaining amount despite repeated promises. Karvir alleged that when he later visited their residence, Pawan refused to meet him, while Urmila threatened to implicate him in a case of outraging a woman’s modesty.After waiting nearly five years, the six doctors lodged a complaint with the Charkop police. Following verification, police registered an FIR against the accused couple on Wednesday.“Summons will soon be issued requiring them to appear for questioning. We are also investigating whether the couple has committed similar acts of fraud elsewhere,” said a police officer from Charkop police station.