Patil faces ED action, but finds cops on his side

Surat: Assistant sub-inspector Prakash Patil, the billionaire cop currently under suspension and who was booked in the disproportionate assets (DA) case at Kadodara police station of Surat in October 2016 after the hooch tragedy, is now facing action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, the other six cops of rural police booked for nexus with bootleggers have earned a reprieve as the police have filed final summary in the court.
In the case of forged documents registered against Patil’s wife Mandaben, the police submitted closure report in the court and recommended prosecution of officers who had registered the complaint. Investigation in the forgery complaint against Mandaben registered at Kamrej police station of Surat district was transferred to the Surat city police. The investigation was handed over to a police sub-inspector in detection of crime branch. Police submitted a summary in the court claiming it to be a false complaint. The departmental inquiry in the DA case against Patil was transferred from Surat rural police to the Vadodara range IGP.

After 23 people lost their lives in the hooch tragedy in August- September 2016 in city and rural areas of Surat, rural police officials found nexus between six junior cops and bootleggers. The cops had talked several times with the absconding bootleggers, the police informed. The complaint was registered at Kadodara police station against these cops after the then superintendent of police Nirlipt Rai conducted an inquiry and suspended them. Their call data records were also recovered.

Investigation of the case was later transferred to Surat city police. The city police commissioner handed over the investigation to an assistant commissioner of police. Meanwhile, the cops approached high court and challenged registration of complaint against them. The police later submitted a closure report.

Patil’s wife and others were booked for forging documents to prove that she was employed in a computer class. Police initially found fake job records were created to establish that she had earned money through legal sources when Patil was facing DA case. The complainant and a witness had registered their statements in front of magistrate under Section 164 of the criminal procedure code. Yet, the investigation by an officer of city police found the complaint to be false.