India, June 22 -- A Pune-based real estate developer has claimed that he refunded the entire amount paid by a homebuyer who allegedly went missing just days before taking possession of his home after suffering heavy gambling losses. According to the developer, the booking was cancelled, and the full refund was processed after a relative of the buyer approached him seeking assistance in the matter.

"Just a week before he was supposed to take possession of his new home, my customer vanished. We later found out the betting mafia in Mumbai had "taken" him. He had booked with us in 2022, and everything was normal. Then possession came close and he simply stopped answering. My sales team called and called for the balance payment. A man who was...