By Following multiple raids in Jalgaon, Pune City Police have arrested four persons in connection with one of the offences in the Rs 1,200-crore Bhaichand Hirachand Raisoni (BHR) State Cooperative Credit Society ‘scam’.
Police have also booked a few more accused, including the liquidator of the Jalgaon-based BHR State Cooperative Credit Society, on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy.
The four arrested accused are Sujeet Subhash Baviskar alias Wani (42), Dharam Kishor Sakhala (40), Mahavir Manakchand Jain (37), and Vivek Devidas Thakre (41), all residents of Jalgaon. They were remanded in police custody till December 6 by a Pune court on Saturday.
Meanwhile, police have named six more persons as wanted accused in connection with the case, including liquidator Jitendra Kandare.
Ranjana Ghorpade, a 65-year-old retired teacher, had lodged the first information report (FIR) in this case at the Deccan police station in Pune on November 25. As per the FIR, Ghorpade and her sister were duped of over Rs 17 lakh by the accused.
Based on her complaint, police have booked the accused under sections 420, 464, 465, 468, 471, 474, 120 (b) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to charges of cheating and others, and sections of the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors Act 1999.
Back in 2015, following a complaint of cheating lodged at Kothrud police station by Mukund Badve, a senior citizen, and other depositors, Pune City Police had arrested 12 persons, including the chairman and directors of the BHR State Cooperative Credit Society.
The Credit Society was accused of luring investors by offering them 13 per cent interest on fixed deposits. Badve and other investors, who had deposited lakhs in such schemes, did not get the assured returns, and collectively suffered losses of Rs 40 lakh.
In the five years since then, as many as 81 offences have been lodged in connection with the BHR State Cooperative Credit Society “scam”, in which thousands of investors were allegedly duped to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore, said police.
According to police, after the alleged scam came to light, a liquidator was appointed in 2016 who, instead of helping the investors, allegedly cheated them by conspiring with other accused to prepare forged documents of movable and immovable assets of the BHR State Cooperative Credit Society.
After a fresh case was lodged by complainant Ghorpade, police teams raided the residence and offices of the accused, including liquidator Kandare and others. Police recovered several documents and electronic devices from the spot.
Police told the court that the accused allegedly sold the society’s property illegally to businessman Sunil Zanvar. Despite having an official website, the accused allegedly hired one Kunal Shah to set up a fake website with false information regarding sale of their properties.
