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Royal Indian Raj review: Fraud and Deception 13

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8:57 am EST
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They have taken money from me promising construction of villa (RG Villas) in Bangalore within 8 months. That did not happen. I have contacted them in Vancouver, Canada. They are not responding to my calls. I am planning on filing a police report and getting a court order to freeze their assets. ***Investors - Proceed with Caution***

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13 comments
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DeepaM
,
Nov 26, 2008 5:20 pm EST

New Delhi / Bangalore: Hit by slowing housing demand and a severe liquidity crunch, real estate companies are scrambling to defer most of their projects—residential, commercial, retail and hotel developments—especially in and around metros.

In Gurgaon, near New Delhi and in Bangalore, several projects of developers, including DLF Ltd, Unitech Ltd and Parsvnath Developers Ltd, Presitge Golfshire are now delayed by at least six months.

Looks like a sign of the times. The term fraud is not correct and only serves to scare Customers unduly. This post only acts as a catalyst for fear. And I for one as a customer of this development do not agree to the tone of this site. it is patantly meant to de stablize.

I also question the actually validity of the posts from actual buyers. I know they are suing a former employee and he is behind alot of these tricks.

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Sameer Dalal
,
Nov 21, 2008 8:20 pm EST

RGVillas and its parent company RIRIC should be thoroughly investigated by law enforement agencies in Canada, USA and India. I was misled into believing that I was buying a villa on a 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Golf Course development. There is no such development. RIRIC issued a letter to me acknowledging my request for refund. The date for the refund has gone past. Now the executives of RIRIC in vancouver refuse to return my e-mail and voice mails. Guys this only leads me to believe that all the news that have been flying on the internet in regards to the company and its founders are TRUE. We have been DEFRAUDED on a massive scale. Next step is for the customers to come together and take this company head on in courts and help the economic offenses wing of RCMP, FBI and State Attorney General's Office to launch a criminal investigation.

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Telling the Facts
, CA
May 25, 2012 9:31 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

British Columbia Securities Commission dismisses fraud investigation into Royal Indian Raj International Corporation

Canadian proprietary township model to proceed in India as result of clearance by the BCSC

Vancouver, BC, November 25, 2011 - As of April 2010, the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) has formally closed their investigation into Royal Indian Raj International Corporation (RIRIC).

Allegations of fraud and irregular land acquisition processes surrounding RIRIC's township development activities in India were brought against the company in early 2005 by a former local employee looking to undermine the hard-earned reputation of RIRIC in both North America and India. In addition to RIRIC's early brand incubation of such names as Choice Hotels (15, 000 rooms), Century 21, and Caldwell; exclusive rights to the Jack Nicklaus golf courses and Academies; consultancy associations with Jones Lang LaSalle and CPG Corporation (former Singapore Public Works Dept); and financial relationships with Global Emerging Market Fund on a 300, 000, 000M (GBP) Equity Line of Credit the following townships were presented to the Indian government and proposed for development subsequent to land negotiations and Township master plans submission:

Royal Garden City Bangalore (2004) - 3, 000 acre (146.36 million sq. ft. built-up) "Smart" City, Bangalore, India
Royal Garden City Mumbai (2004) - 5, 000 acre (217, 800, 000 sq. ft. built-up) "Smart" City, Mumbai, India
Royal Garden Villas and Resort (2005) - Phase 1: 17 gated communities (600, 000 sq. ft.buildable), proposed expansion to 137 acres (5- 7M sq. ft.) Bangalore, India
The Italian Village (2007) - 1, 136 acre gated community, Bangalore, India
Golf India (2007) - a series of prestigious, planned golf course communities across India by golf legend Jack Nicklaus
The Special Economic Zone [protected], 500 acres for commercial development, State of Meghalaya, India

After an exhaustive review, BCSC lead investigator David Martin determined there were no grounds for prosecution.

"At the end of [that] process, we concluded that there was insufficient evidence to sustain allegations, " said Bob Abrams, BCSC Investigations Manager.

"We are very pleased with the BCSC's decision, " says RIRIC's chairman Manoj C. Benjamin. "As RIRIC is very vigilant at keeping well-documented records of its cross- border activities in the new emerging market of India and elsewhere we remained confident with the investigation's outcome. The process has nevertheless delayed our progress.We are eager to put the last few years behind us and get our inaugural township project in Bangalore, India, off the ground in mid 2012, move on to other proposed townships as well as internationally incubate big name brands through our vertically integrated development portal.".

The Asia-China-India markets will make up 50% of the world's economy by mid-century; a transformation which, in India, will be "the scale and speed of which has not happened anywhere except China" noted a recent report from Morgan Stanley. RIRIC is well-versed in the risks and challenges inherent to developing Eastern markets and is readily equipped to handle the multiple facets of its projects.

"Our vertically integrated proprietary "Smart" township model is unique - and a significant undertaking by any company's standards, " notes Benjamin. "It requires vision, the pursuit of excellence and a hard-headed business acumen. In India it requires additional mastery over many complex risk factors and procedures prevalent in these types of emerging markets such as poor regulatory environments, undefined real estate laws/practices, prolonged re-zoning issues, continuously changing governments, and excessive governmental red tape for project permissions with average approvals taking up to six to eight years. It takes patience, perseverance and personal contacts at the highest political level. RIRIC has all three in abundance."

RIRIC initially entered into their township development projects in 2000. They received Indian Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB ) approvals under India's newly created "Integrated Township Sector" programme in September 2004, and became the first Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) permitted under this initiative. However, government delays of five to ten years, the aforementioned employee's internet sabotage campaign, and other influencing market factors reversed the precision planning and effective advancements to date; it was the perfect storm to stall the company's stellar reputation, integrity and project validity.

The clearance by the BCSC, combined with finalized Indian government permit clearances at the central and state levels, will allow RIRIC to commence phase one of its inaugural Royal Garden Villas & Resort (RGV) Live-Work-Play community in 2012 with phase two and its proposed 3-4 million square feet development anticipated to follow. The RGV project has received over 12, 000 sales inquiries in its pre-launch stage. The entire project will be completed in several phases over approximately 5-7 years.

QUOTES

"Over the next two decades, India is expected to see an urban transformation the scale and speed of which has not happened anywhere except China, with many cities becoming larger than many countries in terms of population, size and GDP. By 2030, India's cities will be home to about 590 million people - nearly twice the population of the United States. At present, nearly one-quarter of India's top 200 cities have no car dealership, less than 10% have a 5-star hotel, and nearly two-thirds were still waiting for a large-scale retail store or hyper market." -Morgan Stanley Alpha Wise Evidence Series - India Urbanization, January 2011

"India's burgeoning and transitioning real estate sector has many challenges; understanding those challenges and enormous market potential will take time. In addition to a corporate real estate sector that's in its infancy in terms of customs and regulations compared to Western Europe, the U.S. or Canada, there are also cultural and operational differences that investors here need to fully understand in order to appreciate the risks and subsequent potential gains prevalent in emerging markets." - Manoj C. Benjamin, Chairman RIRIC

"Global realtors are eyeing India - the opportunities here are mind-boggling." - Andrew Irvine, General Secretary of FIABCI (International Real Estate Federation), Times of India

"As recently as this past October, Ernst & Young has stated that India is becoming the fastest growing economy in the world slated to surpass China in GDP growth by 2013. RIRIC's story isn't just the story of one person and a company, but a story that weaves time, place, hundreds of visionary people, an Indian market set to explode, stimulation of bilateral international economic opportunities, and acclimatization to India's emerging market. While there will be a lot hard work and myriad challenges I believe RIRIC's brightest and most innovative days are ahead." - Manoj C. Benjamin, Chairman RIRIC

About Royal Indian Raj International Corporation

Royal Indian Raj International Corporation (RIRIC), incorporated in Nevada, USA in March 1999 with offices in Vancouver, New York and Bangalore, India, maintains a country-specific, 5-sector heavy infrastructure orientation, focused on the free world's largest emerging market: India. RIRIC's goal is to develop the New India by modernizing housing and businesses and realizing self-sustaining cities of the future. RIRIC implements leading edge technologies and products in strategic alliance with world-class international corporations. Partnered with these international leaders in their respective fields, RIRIC is focused on five of India's priority infrastructure sectors using a vertically integrated business strategy: Urban Infrastructure & Housing; Road Building & Recycling; Broadband Communications & IT Networks; eCommerce/IT & Education Appliances and Broadcast Content; Entertainment & Theme Parks.

Twittercue: BCSC closes investigation into Royal Indian Raj International over allegations of alleged fraud.

RELATED LINKS

Union Urban Development Minister to Review NRI City Project
Times of India - Bangalore Bang: Rs 14, 000-cr City
RIRIC YouTube Channel
RIRIC Facebook
RIRIC Twitter

CONTACT INFORMATION

April M. Stewart (Agency)
Royal Indian Raj International Corporation
Public Relations Department
Web site: http://www. royalindianraj.com
Blog: http://www.royalindian. info
Financial: http://www. royalindianraj.com/#!company/ vstc8=financial-participation/ vstc2=investor-information

Technorati Tags: Royal Indian Raj International | Royal Indian Raj International Corporation | RIRIC | BCSC | British Columbia Securities Commission | India | Royal Garden Villas | Bangalore |Manoj Benjamin | township | township s | India emerging market | emerging markets | Eastern markets | permit clearances | Indian government | Indian government permit clearances | inaugural Royal Garden Villas & Resort Live-Work-Play community | Live-Work-Play | Morgan Stanley | Ernst & Young | Indian real estate | Indian real estate sector | Indian real estate challenges | Indian real estate developer | Indian urban transformation
YouTube - Videos from this email

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theinvestigator
Surrey, CA
Sep 28, 2011 5:50 am EDT

email addresses for Manoj and Ravi: manoj_benjamin@yahoo.com and the4benjamins@gmail.com

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Due Diligence
Beverly Hills, US
Nov 17, 2009 11:59 pm EST

Royal Indian Raj California Customer and Investors Take Note:

California Law: Deceit and fraud are defined separately in statutes. Deceit is defined in Civ. Code §§1709 and 1710, while fraud is defined in Civ. Code §§1572 (actual fraud) and 1573(constructive fraud).

Copy an d Paster Source into top of internet browser: http://www.kinseylaw.com/clientserv2/civillitigationserv/fraud/fraud.html

Below are just a very few court orders and newspaper/magazine articles exposing Royal Indian Raj and their crimes.

Court Orders against Royal Indian Raj and International Newspaper/Magazine Exposure:

Financial Institutions Commission orders Cease Marketing Order Against RIRIC :

http://www.fic.gov.bc.ca/pdf/enforcement/restate/redma20090313.pdf

British Columbia Securities Commission Investigation:

http://royalindiansham.com/BCSC-Summons.php

Invest Right Investor Alert: Beware of investment ploys touting foreign direct investments in India:

http://www.investright.org/alerts.aspx?id=169

Canadian Business Magazine – All About The Benjamins:

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20080929_198710_198710

Jack Nicklaus Withdraws Services:

http://www.nicklaus.com/nicklaus_news/news112608.php

Royal Indian Raj investor gets royal runaround:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=1d8f8cf1-d9cb-40fb-852f-45a5ee50e3d7

Royal Indian Raj Scrounging for Money:

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Royal+Indian+scrounging+money/1715565/story.html

C
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customer
College Park, US
May 27, 2009 9:42 pm EDT

Please send you compaints to

The Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8

and also file complaints with Nevada AG

http://ag.state.nv.us/complaints/complaints.htm.

I have just did the same

C
C
customer
College Park, US
May 27, 2009 9:33 pm EDT

Mr. Royal Indian Raj Corporate Statement, Why are you so concerned about what people are saying and posting on this web site? If you are running a legit ( I know you are not as I got screwed by you MFs)business, please answer the customer calls, refund their money and for rest of the customers like me build the apartment and hand it over to us? Its been 10 yrs you have been in business, show me a project you completed. Did you complete any project? I don't think so. You are running a ponsi scheme and you (Bob Brown) are a biggest lier.

R
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Royal Indian Raj Corporate Statement
Vancouver, CA
Mar 30, 2009 6:03 pm EDT

Masterplan approved Jan 30, 2009
http://www.mybangalore.com/article/airport-neighbors.html

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Siera
,
Nov 29, 2008 12:59 am EST

I am in complete agreement with those who believe the Benjamins are defrauding innocent people. Royal Garden VIllas is a huge scam, and a fraud that the Benjamins should be punished for. I too amazed that more legal action has taken place. Why are more investors not coming forward? The Benjamins are smooth talkers, but at some point, the lack of action is going to kick them in the ###.

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satish
,
Nov 28, 2008 11:13 pm EST

Yes, Criminal Charges. Idefinitely agree!

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satish
,
Nov 28, 2008 11:03 pm EST

I have been thoroughly amazed at how well Royal Indian Raj and the Benjamins have been able to brainwash the investors and customers, including me, and redirect blame to the point of having a lot of investors and customers, including me, spewing their rhetoric – it’s a liquidity crisis, everything has slowed in India, its biappa’s fault. As of recent I have finally realized that this redirection of blame was more intended to distract us all from learning about the real issue and the real issue is FRAUD! After closer examination it is clear the real issue is indeed FRAUD!

1. Why did the Royal Indian group and the Benjamin's FALSELY market and advertise a 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, approximately 200 acres, for the Royal Garden Villas project in Bangalore when they knew they could not and would not build a such a golf course? FRAUD

2. Why did they FALSELY claim that they had the land of approximately 200 acres required for such a golf course under agreement when they did not? FRAUD

3. Why did they FALSELY claim that they had the land required for the other amenities, like equestrian land, winery land, etc, when they did not? FRAUD

4. Why did they FALSELY state in a newsletter that all deposits were being held in escrow when they are not? FRAUD

5. Why did they tell everyone that the deposits would only be used for the project when they took the money from the deposits to buy land at a totally unrelated site to which we have absolutely no connection? FRAUD

6. Why when customers have asked for refunds they are unable to get their monies back even after the waiting period? Nothing has been built yet so where has the money gone? FRAUD

7. Why are they now not answering telephone calls from Customers now due their monies? FRAUD

8. Why are they now not even answering emails from customer now due their monies? FRAUD

9. Why are they not making any effort to communicate with the customers now due their monies? FRAUD

10. Why did they ILLEGALLY sell real estate in jurisdictions in the USA and elsewhere where they have no real estate license or prospectus? FRAUD

11. Why did they FALSELY claim they had more assets then they really did? FRAUD

12. Why did they FALSELY claim that the company with which customers have the purchase agreements owns the 17 acres when really it is owned by a third party who has no legal obligation to us and could just walk away with the land if something goes wrong? FRAUD

13. Why are they not willing to provide an accounting of the deposit monies? FRAUD

14. Why are customers now filing for charges of fraud against the Royal Indian Raj group and the Benjamin's? FRAUD

And the list goes on. The more you verify the more you realize FRAUD!

I was amused by the comments of DeepaM in the post below. DeepaM says, “Looks like a sign of the times.” What FRAUD is a sign to the times? I wish to correct that. Stupidity is a sign of the times. With the allure of making an easy return I was stupid and ignored all the common sense signals. When I was given deep discounts, I ignored the old adage of “If it seems too good to be true it probably is.” I ignored the old adage “Buyer Beware” even though I was buying over the internet from a group that has a zero track record. I would guess that like all purchasers, I did not involve an advocate when that is the very first step you take in USA. I would guess that like all purchasers, I never had an independent advocate check the Land Titles or the contract prior to signing. Yes, I feel stupid. If anyone else feels the same, do not feel bad you are not alone. Yes, stupidity is a sign of the times and it is being proven daily over and over again in India by buyers running for easy returns that are too good to be true. Which they learn eventually are exactly that, “too good to be true”, as someone walks off with their money. Mind you I did not know then that Benjamin was once charged with fraud but I do now. They say tigers never change their stripes.

I got a great chuckle from Ranjeet’s comments in the post below – Legal Verification Completed. Ranjeet proudly comments how he/she visited the site, touched the soil and visited the advocate of Royal Indian Raj. My dear Ranjeet when buying real estate you do not take advice from the seller’s advocate, you take advice from your own independent advocate. If you had taken the time to retain a great independent advocate, your advocate would have advised you that you are signing a purchase agreement with “Company A” and the land is owned by an independent “Person B” who has no obligation to you and can walk away with the land if anything goes wrong and like magic….poof…your money disappears into thin air. Your advocate would have advised you to only sign an agreement if “Company A” owns the land and where you have a legal tie and right to the land. Their advocate probably said that the land was fully owned and clear title but failed to advise that it was not owned by the company on the purchase agreement. That is why you need a great independant advocate to advise you. Don’t worry, I made the same mistake and I only learned from an advocate after the fact. My advocate told me that this is a typical scam where when the money is gone, the selling company is shut down and the land owner walks away with the land. We know that the money is gone from RGVillas because customers that are due their monies are unable to get their money and nor are their calls or emails being answered. So what do you think is going to happen next…..magic…..and poof our money has disappeared into thin air. So how do we recover our money? Well, you do like other investors and customers, including me, are doing and move to file charges of fraud against the Benjamins for their fraudulent actions and fraudulent representations and freeze their assets and recover the funds from those assets. There is a group at royalindianconcerns@hotmail.com that is helping investors and customers organize unified legal action and criminal charges.

I respectfully didn’t really pay much heed to DeepaM’s and Ranjeet’s comments as that is exactly the same rhetoric Royal Indian Raj staff gave me, almost word for word. If not Royal Indian Raj staff, then definitely the comments were influenced by staff in a half-hearted attempt to counter the growing wave of charges and legal actions mounting against Royal Indian Raj and the Benjamins. But the secret is out now and Royal Indian Raj and the Benjamins have no way of hiding it any longer.

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Krishna
,
Nov 27, 2008 9:20 pm EST

We have noticed that on the Royal Garden Villas website ( www.rgvillas.com ) the image of Jack Nicklaus no longer appears on the website endorsing the project. We also noticed on the website that an 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course is no longer listed as an amenity on the project. We are told that there was no contract for an 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course on this project as there has never been enough land other than the 17 acres and that Jack Nicklaus has ended any association. However you should confirm this with the Jack Nicklaus Design group. Contacting the Nicklaus Design group rather than Royal Indian Raj may be the only way to ensure complete certainty that you are receiving the truth.

You may wish to contact Scott Tolley at Nicklaus Design to confirm why it appears that Jack Nicklaus is no longer endorsing the Royal Garden Villas project and why Jack Nicklaus ended association. You may also wish to contact Scott Tolley at Nicklaus Design to confirm if Nicklaus Design ever had a contract to build a 18 hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course on the Royal Garden Villas project site and if there ever was land for such a golf course. It may be prudent to get such confirmation in writing

Why does the image of Jack Nicklaus no longer appear on the website endorsing the Royal Garden Villas project? Why would Jack Nicklaus endorse the project in the first place and it appears not now?

The contact details for Scott Tolley of Nicklaus Design is telephone (USA) [protected] and email
scott.tolley@nicklaus.com .

It appears there is no guarantee that other amenities, if not all, will not be eliminated after permissions are obtained. Do you have a written guarantee?

We understand if anyone wished to secure and ensure a refund that the request should be made in writing

before permissions as per the purchase agreement and without delay. As we understand, after permissions further payments, as per the purchase agreement, will automatically become due regardless of what amenities remain, if any at all, and that it will be very difficult to obtain a refund after permissions.

As we understand, if anyone wishes to secure and ensure a refund you must must submit a written written request as per directions in the purchase agreement before before permissions and without delay, and failing to do so may require going to court to obtain a refund.

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DeepaM
,
Nov 26, 2008 5:05 pm EST

New Delhi / Bangalore: Hit by slowing housing demand and a severe liquidity crunch, real estate companies are scrambling to defer most of their projects—residential, commercial, retail and hotel developments—especially in and around metros.
In Gurgaon, near New Delhi, several projects of developers, including DLF Ltd, Unitech Ltd and Parsvnath Developers Ltd, are now delayed by at least six months.

Looks like things are tough all over...I would not call this fraud.