IPS officer Bhagyashree Navtake booked by Pune police in forgery case

The FIR was filed against Navtake based on a report filed by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in which procedural lapses were alleged against her when she was leading the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Pune

The Pune Police have registered a case on the charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy against IPS officer Bhagyashree Navtake who had headed the investigation into an alleged ₹1,200 crore scam pertaining to Bhaichand Hirachand Raisoni Credit Society, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident was reported between November 15, 2020 and 10 November 2022. (HT PHOTO)

The FIR was filed against Navtake based on a report filed by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in which procedural lapses were alleged against her when she was leading the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Pune.

The incident was reported between November 15, 2020 and 10 November 2022.

A complaint was filed by Nikhil Pingle, deputy commissioner of police (crime) Pune city police, as per instructions received from the state government.

In 2020, three cases were registered in the Bhaichand Hirachand Raisoni Credit Society scam in Alandi, Deccan and Shikrapur police station and combined raids were also conducted at various locations in Jalgaon.

It was alleged that cases were reported hurriedly without the presence of the complainant.

In FIR it is alleged that Navtake by influencing officers from Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune rural police pressured them to register cases.

The Director General of Police (DGP) office has asked erstwhile Pune city police commissioner Amitabh Gupta, commissioner of police of Pimpri Chinchwad Krushna Prakash and Pune rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Deshmukh to submit a detailed report in the case.

The statement read, in order to register false cases, the said officer played a vital role.

FIR further states that answers submitted by the said officer are contradictory and are not satisfactory. There was no reply or co-operation from the said officer and hence in order to come out with the truth there is a need for an investigation.

Vivek Masal, deputy commissioner of police, EOW and cyber, said, “As of now we have registered a case and further investigation in the case is underway.’’

A case has been filed at Bund Garden police station under sections 120 B, 166, 167, 177, 193, 201, 34, 203, 219, 220, 466, 474.

A person close to Navtake alleged that the action was politically motivated, and the allegations mentioned in the FIR were baseless. “Writ petitions have been filed by officers involved and it is admitted in the high court then why an FIR has been filed so hurriedly,”he said

There is a set protocol to follow while filing an FIR and one needs to get all necessary permissions. Is it possible that said officer can file FIRs without informing seniors? She has all documental permissions, and she will submit them when it is required, added the person.

In this case, almost 1.69 lakh depositors were involved and initially, fraud amounted to ₹1,200 crore. After 10 years of waiting, the said officer successfully recovered ₹120 crore and hence some depositors got their money back. The accused in the scam accepted their role and deposited money back in the court. Five chargesheets have been submitted to the court after a detailed investigation. These chargesheets contain enough documentary evidence along with forensic audits and bank transactions.

Navtake is currently posted as the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) superintendent in Chandrapur.