Frauds try to acquire ₹1.49 cr from MLA funds using forged documents

A case has been registered against an unknown accused for submitting forged documents to try and acquire ₹1.49 crore from funds allocated to a member of the legislative council in Mumbai. The accused has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Police are investigating the matter.

MUMBAI: A case has been registered against an unknown accused for allegedly submitting forged documents like letterheads of Ram Shinde, member of legislative council (MLC), and other documents to the district planning officer to try and acquire ₹1.49 crore from the local development funds allocated to Shinde.

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The collector’s office had received three different letters from November 2022, seeking the release of an amount of ₹1.49 crore from the development funds allocated to the BJP MLC for the year 2022-2023, citing three different works in the city.

Manoj Bhatankar, who works in the office of the Mumbai City District Collector in Fort, registered a complaint after Shinde said he did not issue any such applications. “When the collector’s office cross-checked with Shinde about the said applications, he told the revenue officers that he had not made any application to the office. The officers told him that the letters were typed on his letterheads and also had his signatures. The officers then realised that the letters were not written by Shinde,” a police officer from MRA Marg police said.

The unknown accused was booked under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Indian Penal Code.

“We are inquiring and trying to find out who forged the documents and tried to obtain money from the funds allocated to the MLC,” a police officer said.