A year after 19 govt officers complain, retired dy secy booked for cheating

Sources in Mantralaya said that they had been trying to get an FIR registered for a year but some top secretaries in Mantralaya would put pressure on the police and ensure that there was no FIR registered

MUMBAI: Nineteen officers of the state government have complained to the Powai police about retired deputy secretary Rajesh Govil collecting ₹2.61 crore from them on the pretext of converting their residential quarters into ownership homes. An FIR was registered on Saturday, and Govil has been called for questioning on Monday morning.

Powai housing quarter of state government

Govil used to work as the deputy secretary in the home department till March 2024 and retired as deputy secretary from the planning department in May this year.

Umesh Chandiwade, who works as an undersecretary in the home department, told Hindustan Times that the state government had 72 one- and two-BHK flats in Powai near Hiranandani Complex, which were used as quarters by clerks, assistants and officers. “Govil has been taking money from us since 2018, promising that these quarters will become our ownership homes,” he said. “I have been paying him since 2019. Since there was no outcome, we complained to various government forums but got no redressal. Finally, we got an FIR registered.”

Pradeep Padole, an officer in the home department, said that Govil had worked in the urban development department and had handled the Hiranandani Powai land misappropriation case. “In 2019, he told us that the court could give us the quarters as ownership homes,” he said. “He claimed that he had high-level contacts and could get this done. We were asked to pay ₹10 lakh per officer, and did so in June 2019.”

Padole added that a year ago, Govil told the employees that the ownership house thing was not working out and promised to pay them back on March 31, 2024, and then again by April 20, 2024. “But before this, he complained to the Powai police that we were harassing him, using his Mantralaya contacts,” he said. On July 6, 2024, we made a formal application to the Powai police but the FIR was registered only on Saturday because Govil was still in service and would bring pressure on the police. We had also told our bosses, and they had got him transferred to the planning department from the home department.”

Padole said that among those who had been cheated were Mantralaya staffers, officers from the police commissioner’s office, the DGP’s office and Bombay high court staff. “A total of 30 people have been cheated and 19 of us have complained,” he said. “Most of us have given amounts ranging from ₹10 to ₹15 lakh to Govil by withdrawing from our bank accounts or taking loans from relatives.” One of the complainants said they had collected bank statements to furnish the police with proof. A senior officer in Mantralaya said that there were also video recordings of meetings with Govil, which had been handed over to the police.

Sources in Mantralaya said that they had been trying to get an FIR registered for a year but some top secretaries in Mantralaya would put pressure on the police and ensure that there was no FIR registered. Sub-inspector Shobhraj Sarak of the Powai police, who is investigating the case, said, “We have just registered the FIR. No arrest has been made so far. We have called Govil for questioning on Monday.”

Govil did not respond to calls and messages from this newspaper.