Real estate agent staged firing to avoid paying dues: Police

A real estate agent in Navi Mumbai staged her own shooting to avoid paying dues in a chit fund scheme, with three police officers suspended for colluding with her.

Navi Mumbai: The investigations into the firing on Supriya Patil, a real estate agent, in Panvel, revealed after five months that she herself staged the firing to avoid paying dues to people in a chit fund scheme, police officials said on Saturday.

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The probe also revealed that the initial investigating officer was colluding with her in return for monetary favours, a police officer said, adding, “This led to the suspension of three officers from the original investigation team.”

“We have arrested Supriya Patil and the shooter last week, and we have learnt that the incident of firing was staged to evade any kind of arrest in the financial fraud case,” the officer said.

The three suspended officers are police inspector Ravindra Patil, sub-inspector Yogesh Patil and assistant inspector Sandeep Sonwalker from unit II of the crime branch.

“In the investigations, it was found that the officers had been helping the accused to evade the arrest. All this was being done for monetary benefit. As per the protocol, there would be a preliminary inquiry followed by a departmental inquiry. They are suspended so that they do not take advantage of the position to meddle with the evidence. The punishment will be decided once the charges are proved,” Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe said.

In March, Patil alleged that an unidentified assailant fired at her while she was on her way back home in Panvel.

Patil and Satish Gawand, residents of Uran, have allegedly cheated many people, promising double the returns on investment. Cases against both the accused were registered with Uran, CBD Belapur and Panvel police stations.

Gawand was arrested in February while he was trying to flee with ₹9.99 crore cash in his car, which he had allegedly collected from various people in the name of chit-fund scheme.

Meanwhile, a special investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the chit-fund scam after the commissioner of police got information that police officers were helping the accused in the case.

“The SIT found that the information of Patil was being concealed by three officers who were in constant touch with her. The team also found that some of the sensitive information shared in the WhatsApp group of the police officers was being forwarded to Supriya Patil, and there was an exchange of money as well between the officers and Supriya Patil,” said the officer.