New Delhi: A 57-year-old man and his wife have been arrested in Greater Noida for allegedly defrauding several people by selling the same flat more than once, police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Naresh Kumar Sikri and his wife Sharda Sikri (55), are residents of Dwarka Sector 9 in Delhi.

According to investigators, the couple executed multiple sale agreements for a flat that had already been mortgaged to a bank. Police allege they collected between ₹2 crore and ₹2.5 crore from different buyers through fraudulent means.

Sharda Sikri had previously been declared a Proclaimed Offender by a local court in September 2025 after remaining absconding for an extended period. Two cases of cheating were registered against the couple at Dwarka South police station on 6 January and 14 July 2024 under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, after complainants alleged that Sharda entered into agreements to sell the flat, accepted substantial payments and then failed to complete the transactions before fleeing.

A senior police officer said Sharda’s anticipatory bail plea was dismissed by a trial court and later withdrawn before the Delhi High Court.

Acting on specific intelligence and technical surveillance, police traced the couple to a hideout in Greater Noida, where they were apprehended. During questioning, they allegedly admitted to the offence and disclosed that the property had been mortgaged, and that the scheme was devised to raise funds to clear bank dues.

Police suspect Naresh Sikri, a loan agent by profession, to be the mastermind behind the fraud, noting that the flat was registered in his wife’s name.

Both have been produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigations are under way to determine whether they were involved in similar offences elsewhere.

(PTI)