FPJ Exclusive: IPS Officer's Husband Purushottam Chavan Cheats Relative Of ₹2.34 Crore In Fake Govt Flat And Land Deal Scam; Sent To Police Custody Until June 30

Mumbai: In a startling revelation, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police has unearthed a multi-crore fraud allegedly orchestrated by Purushottam Chavan — husband of senior IPS officer Rashmi Karandikar — who is accused of duping several individuals under the guise of offering subsidized government flats and Bombay Port Trust (BPT) plots. He has appeared before Esplande Court for second remand, Court sent him into Police Custody till 30 June.

EOW Finds Forged Documents, Fake e-Secure Bank Receipts, and Bogus Government Identity

During intensive interrogation by EOW, Chavan confessed to having defrauded his own Close Relative cousin Sister, Namrata Chavan, of ₹2.34 crore. He took ₹2 crore from her promising a flat under a government quota, and an additional ₹34 lakh for facilitating a BPT land allotment.

To make the scheme appear genuine, he allegedly created fake e-secure bank and treasury receipts, inserting the photograph of one Balubhai Badani as a "government witness," and presented him fraudulently as government officer Yashwant Pawar.

EOW Sources revealed that, Purushottam Chavan called Bhalubhai Badani, a resident of Surat, to a registration office in Mumbai under the pretext of offering him a government quota flat. There, he got Badani to signature leave-and-license documents.

Chavan later used Badani’s photo, Signature from these documents to create fake land sale papers, portraying him as a bogus government officer named Yashwant Pawar. He then used these forged documents to deceive his own close relative, Namrata Chavan, and extorted money from her.

EOW officials revealed that, Chavan used these forged documents to gain Namrata’s trust, convincing her that the plot had already been sanctioned and would soon be transferred in her name. All documents used in the fraud have been confirmed to be fabricated. Investigators are now probing how Chavan obtained Balubhai Badani’s biometric details and misused his photograph for impersonation.

The EOW team also took Chavan to his residence in Thane — registered in his mother’s name — and to a PNB bank branch in Naupada, where further investigation was conducted on how the fake e-secure bank vault was established. Investigations revealed Chavan had also rented a flat in Parel and used a fabricated rent receipt featuring Badani’s photograph under the alias “Yashwant Pawar.”

Accused Linked to Forgery Expert Sohail Shaikh from Thane; Wider Racket Suspected

Crucially, Chavan admitted that all forged documents were created by a man named Sohail Shaikh from Rabodi, Thane. However, Chavan provided misleading information about Shaikh’s exact address to misguide investigators. Further inquiry has revealed that Shaikh was also involved in creating fake municipal contracts for supplying T-shirts to Nashik and Mumbai civic bodies.

Mumbai News: IPS Officer’s Husband Purushottam Chavan Accused In Multi-Crore Fraud, Fake BMC Contracts And Forged TDR Property Documents Exposed

Police Custody Extended Till June 30 for Further Probe into Fake DRC and Documents

EOW is now investigating who else was involved in the racket alongside Sohail Shaikh and how the duo came into contact. The investigation also focuses on how they produced a fraudulent Development Rights Certificate (DRC) and where it was printed. Given the seriousness of the findings, a Mumbai court extended Purushottam Chavan’s police custody until June 30 for further investigation.