BJP leader Pravin Darekar summoned for questioning in bank fraud case

Police have sent a summons to Pravin Darekar, leader of the opposition in the council, for questioning

Police have sent a summons to Pravin Darekar, leader of the opposition in the council, for questioning in the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank fraud case. The notice was issued by police inspector Sushilkumar Gaikwad from MRA Marg police station.

BJP leader Pravin Darekar at Vidhan Bhavan. HT File Photo

“He was asked to visit the police station on Monday, in connection with the FIR registered against him on March 14,” said a senior IPS officer who did not wish to be named.

Darekar told reporters that there was pressure to take direct action against him, but after explaining the matter before the sessions court and the high court, he had been issued a notice by police asking him to come for questioning.

“I will give proper replies and furnish whatever information they require. Our stand has been to extend full cooperation to the investigating officers. I will go personally. When there is nothing wrong then why should we fear?” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

A case was registered against Darekar based on the complaint filed by Aam Aadmi Party leader Dhananjay Shinde who alleged that the BJP leader used bogus membership of a labour organisation to get directorship at the bank. Shinde also alleged that he had cheated the government and the bank by posing as a labourer and contesting the bank’s election for the director post under the labour category.

The case was registered under sections 199 (false statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence), 200 (using as true such declaration knowing it to be false), 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 120b (criminal conspiracy), and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Shinde claimed that Darekar neither got any contract of labourer supply nor did he work as a labourer, but he had been contesting for the same post for the last 20 years.

Darekar had registered himself as a labourer late back in 1997. Later, he even contested as an MLA in 2009 from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and won the election. In the affidavit, he had mentioned that he was into private business, said Shinde.

“He has shown his property value of more than ₹2 crore. Darekar has been a Member of Legislative Council since 2016 and the document which he had submitted showed he was into private business. He is earning ₹2.5 lakh, including all government benefits, as a monthly salary,” Shinde said.

“There was a fraud in the bank during his tenure and the cooperative department of the state government also found material indicating a fraud during an audit,” Shinde said in the complaint. “We filed a complaint with the Mumbai police on January 3. The MRA Marg police recorded my statement and registered a case against him.”