Malegaon birth certificate row: Court allows ED to question 5 accused in jail

MUMBAI: A special PMLA court on Friday allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to question five accused in prison regarding a money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the issuance of birth and death certificates

MUMBAI: A special PMLA court on Friday allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to question five accused in prison regarding a money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the issuance of birth and death certificates. Suspended Malegaon naib tehsildar Sandeep Dattatraya Dharankar and his wife, Dipali, are among the accused.

Additional Sessions Judge SV Sahare permitted the agency to question and record statements of the Dharankar couple, Abdul Tawwab Abdul Razzaque, Ghazala Parveen Iqbal Ahmed and Shankar Ukha Mahajan at Nashik Road Central Prison on August 24-25 and August 27-29 between 9-5pm.

Special Public Prosecutor Amol A Patankar, appearing for the ED, told the court that the five accused were “key suspects” in its money-laundering case and that they “played a significant role in the generation and laundering of the proceeds of crime”.

The case traces its origins to allegations raised by BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya in January 2025 that fraudulent birth certificates had been issued to Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas. The allegations led to a police case in Malegaon.

Police arrested Dharankar and his wife after establishing their involvement during the investigation. By June 2025, four complaints had been registered in Malegaon, resulting in 10 arrests.

The Maharashtra government subsequently formed an SIT to examine the allegations and temporarily halted the issuance of delayed birth and death certificates across the state.