Crime branch nabs four for selling back-dated stamp papers

Nagpur: City police crime branch busted a four member gang allegedly involved in blackmarketing stamp papers of past dates at high prices. Those arrested include Beena Advani (60), Bheematai Wankhede (53), Ashish Shende (27) and Himanshu Sahare (20). Beena is said to be the mastermind.
The police also seized 47 stamp papers, registers and other documents from the racketeers. City police chief Amitesh Kumar has ordered citywide searches for more such actions as there is possibility of substantial misuse of these stamp papers for fraud and property related economic offences.
“We are going to alert the revenue department regarding the blackmarketing of non-judicial stamp papers which may have been used to perpetrate property related frauds and offences,” said the CP.
He also said more intensive drive against people preparing fake identification proofs and such other documents was in the pipeline. “We have also seized the sale registers from the racket and are trying to find out who bought the papers,” Kumar said.
Crime branch team of Senior inspector Kishor Parvate under the supervision of DCP Gajanan Rajmane is learnt to have laid the trap for the gang. The court on Tuesday remanded the four accused in the custody of the crime branch till May 28. Advani is a licensed stamp paper seller.
Police said 27 stamp papers of Rs 100 and another 19 of Rs 500 were seized from the residence of Advani in Khare town. She would thousands of rupees for back-dated stamp papers. Sahare, Shende and Wankhede would get commission from her.
Advani’s sale registers, which must have complete details of each buyer, have incomplete or abbreviated names and no details like mobile number or any other identification.
The crime branch, which had been receiving information about the racket, had sent a decoy to purchase a back-dated stamp paper. With his help, Wankhede was first nabbed followed by Sahare and Shende from the tehsil office. They led the cops to the kingpin Advani.
The crime branch team comprising PI Parvate, sub-inspectors Laxmichhaya Tambuskar, PM Mohekar, Asst sub-inspector Rajesh Thakur, Mohan Sahu, constable Santosh Madankar, Satish Pandey and others were instrumental in laying the trap and conducting searches.