A retired officer of Delhi Development Authority was today arrested after evidence cropped up against him in the DDA flat allotment fraud, while a property dealer is understood to have been detained for questioning.


M L Gautam, who retired from DDA's telephone department in 2004, was taken into custody yesterday for questioning and later was formally arrested after his involvement was established, police said. "Gautam has been placed under arrest after evidence cropped up against him during interrogation," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amulya Patnaik.


This is the third arrest by Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police's crime branch, which is investigation into a complaint that a cartel of property dealers and DDA officials conspired to rig the draw of allotment and cornered flats reserved for SC/STs.
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Laxmi Narayan Meena, a sacked bank employee, and Deepak Kumar, a law graduate, were earlier arrested for allegedly collecting details of SC/ST people and submitting applications for the flats earmarked for them without their knowledge.


Suresh Kumar Meena, a property dealer, who is absconding, is understood to have been detained by investigators but there was no official confirmation on it. When asked, Patnaik refused to confirm the detention saying investigations were progressing and it was not appropriate time to comment on in.