The Navi Mumbai Police have registered a case against four people and arrested one after CIDCO sought action against a Seawood resident who allegedly submitted fake letters saying they were issued by the Chief Minister and Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department.
The case has been registered against Radhabai Patil, Samrat Ramchandra Patil, Jasmin Tandel and Rajesh Shirke. Mr. Tandel was arrested last week.
Cheating claim
According to CIDCO’s police complaint, Samrat Patil, a resident of Karave village in Seawood, submitted two letters to the corporation on November 30, 2018, claiming that they had been issued by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Principal Secretary Urban Development (I) Nitin Kareer. The letters said Mr. Patil’s mother, Radhabai Ramchandra Patil, a project-affected person, had been cheated.
“The letters ordered authorities to cancel all procedures carried out on plot survey number 69,70/2, 194/3 at Karave village, which had earlier belonged to Ms. Patil. Such orders are not issued from the Urban Development Department, and hence CIDCO got suspicious,” police inspector Sanjay Chavan, Belapur police station, said.
Unravelling the case
Mr. Chavan said that on realising the forgery, CIDCO questioned Mr. Patil, who said his friend, Mr. Tandel, had introduced him to Mr. Shirke. The latter said he worked in Mantralaya and got Mr. Patil the letters.
Mantralaya confirmed in January 2019 that the letters were forged, and in the first week of May, CIDCO wrote to the police seeking action. After a preliminary inquiry, an FIR was lodged on May 21.
Radhabai Patil had submitted a right release letter for the land that belonged to her mother, Nirabai Balkrishna Tandel, in 2008. Accordingly, in 2010, CIDCO entered a tripartite agreement with Nirabai Tandel’s other heirs as per its 12.5% scheme.
In 2014, Mr. Patil wrote to CIDCO claiming that his mother had cancelled the right release letter in 2009, and hence she had the right to the land which was given to the other heirs. When CIDCO did not respond to his request, Mr. Patil submitted the forged letters. While Mr. Patil and his mother have approached the court for anticipatory bail, Mr. Tandel has been sent to police custody. Mr. Shirke’s real identity is yet to be verified.