Accused in forgery case forges judge’s signature to get pre-arrest bail

The fake order with a forged signature, based on which Chemte was granted anticipatory bail on January 17, was flagged by the complainant in the original forgery case

Pune: When Haribhau Chemte, a Pune resident accused in a forgery and copyright violation case, secured pre-arrest bail from Bombay high court on January 17, none realised that anything was amiss. But by the time the police and court realised that he had secured the bail using a fake court order with a forged signature of a Pune judge, Chemte was already absconding.

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“He faked a court order under section 169 of the CrPC, bearing the forged signature of a first class judicial magistrate, and submitted the fraudulent handwritten order to the high court to secure bail,” said an officer, quoting the fresh FIR against Chemte registered on Tuesday.

Section 169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) allows for the release of an accused if there is insufficient evidence to justify further legal proceedings.

According to police, Chemte is accused in a forgery and copyright violation case involving Pune-based firm, CTR Manufacturing Pvt Ltd. In 2022, the company filed a complaint after finding that their patented drawings and designs had been misused by a Chennai-based company. The investigation indicated that some employees of CTR, in collusion with officials from the accused firm, were involved in the unauthorised use of proprietary designs.

Chemte, who worked in the quality control department at CTR Manufacturing between 2016 and 2017, was involved in the design theft, said police sources.

“He hatched a conspiracy to forge a court order while his anticipatory bail application was pending before the Bombay high court,” a police officer said.

The fake order with a forged signature, based on which Chemte was granted anticipatory bail on January 17, was flagged by the complainant in the original forgery case. This prompted the high court to vacate the bail and initiate an inquiry into the fraud, said police.

Subsequently, the complainant approached the Vimantal police station, where the original forgery and copyright violation case was registered, and lodged a fresh complaint against Chemte, who is currently absconding.

Chemte has been booked under sections 337 (forgery of public records and documents), 339 (possessing a forged document or electronic record with intent to use it as genuine), 246 (dishonestly making a false claim in court) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.