Pune police on Monday night registered a case against public prosecutor Pravin Chavan and two others in an alleged cheating and extortion case.
According to police, the FIR has been lodged over a complaint by Suraj Sunil Zanwar, resident of Suhas Colony in Jalgaon, who is an accused in an alleged Bhaichand Hirachand Raisoni (BHR) State Cooperative Credit Society scam of over ₹2,000 crore
According to the complaint, public prosecutor Pravin Chavan along with two accomplices Shekhar Madhukar Sonalkar and Uday Nanabhau Pawar allegedly demanded ₹2 crore from Zanwar to get bail for his father Sunil Zanwar who is in jail in BHR scam. Zanwar was arrested in January 2021, but was granted bail in May 2021. His father Sunil, another accused, arrested in August 2021, is behind bars.
In his complaint, Zanwar alleged that, on November 26, 2021 accused Pawar had extorted ₹1.2 crore from him, out of which accused Chavan kept ₹1 crore and gave ₹22 lakh to Pawar as a mediator and Hawala charges. After this, Pawar messaged Chavan in a code language that ‘one file has been received’ through a signal messaging app. The complainant Zanwar requested Chavan to help his father get bail and release his seized bank accounts
Zanwar in his complaint further alleged that after accepting ₹1.22 crore, Pawar did not help in getting bail of his father and inturn extorted money from him.
{{/usCountry}}Zanwar in his complaint further alleged that after accepting ₹1.22 crore, Pawar did not help in getting bail of his father and inturn extorted money from him.
{{/usCountry}}On March 6, 2022, Zanwar’s father contacted Pawar and asked him to return the money to his son. Zanwar alleged that Chavan refused to return the money and threatened to frame him and his father in two other cases and book them under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act .
When, Hindustan Times tried to contact Chavan over phone to get his comment on this case but his phone was switched off.
The trio has been booked under sections of 166 (public servant disobeying law), 213 (taking gift, etc), 384 (punishment for extortion), 385 (fear of injury), 386 (fear of death), 388 (punishment with death or imprisonment for life), 120 b (criminal conspiracy), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case has been registered at Deccan police station and further investigation is underway.
In March 2022, the then Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis (now deputy chief minister) had presented video recordings in the Legislative Assembly and alleged that Pravin Chavan and some leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA government) illegally framed charges against BJP leader Girish Mahajan. Following this Chavan resigned from the BHR scam case and an inquiry was ordered against him.