MUMBAI, June 25 -- The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police has booked the owner of real estate firm Viva Group, Mehul Thakur, for cheating the managing director of another housing firm of Rs.30 crore. The police said, Thakur, former Vasai MLA Hitendra Thakur's relative, had, in 2012, approached Rohitashwa Poddar, managing director of Poddar Housing and Development Limited, and told him about his family's political background. He allegedly said they could form a joint company and make a lot of money if they bought and developed land from farmers in Vasai and Virar. Thakur told Poddar that he had a company called Apaar Infrastructure Private Limited where he was a director along with three others. Together, they renamed the company Poddar Vivo Housing Private Limited. When the other three directors retired, Thakur and Poddar became the company's two owners. However, Thakur allegedly secretly got the retiring directors to make him the company's principal signatory. Thakur and Poddar then decided to buy 75 acres of land for which Poddar's company would pay Rs.56 crore. Poddar then transferred Rs.30 crore to a joint bank account, which could be accessed by Thakur, with the remainder of the payment to be made after the land had been acquired. When Poddar realised that the farmers had not been paid, he found that the Rs.30 crore had been shifted to Viva Holdings, a company belonging to Thakur's family. When Poddar demanded his money back, Thakur threatened him, he told the police. Thakur's father Deepak Thakur said he was not aware of the matter and added that his son handled the business. Poddar filed a complaint with the police on June 23. Following his complaint the EOW said they booked Thakur, his father, and Vikas Varthak and Radhaye Khanolkar, who were directors in Thakur's company, under various sections of the BNS. The police are conducting an investigation to recover the money....