Court denies bail to husband of IPS officer in cheating case

A court here on Thursday refused to grant bail to Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rashmi Karandikar's husband Purushottam Chavan, arrested for duping people of more than Rs 24 crore.

Chavan has sought bail on medical grounds, but his plea was rejected by additional sessions judge V R Jagdale. The order is yet to be made available.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai police had arrested Chavan in May last year in connection with the fraud. He is accused of cheating 20 people of Rs 24.78 crore under the pretext of selling them flats under state government quota in Mumbai, Thane and Pune at concessional rates.

Chavan is also booked in another case, where he is accused of defrauding a Surat-based businessman and others of Rs 7.42 crore.

In his plea, Chavan claimed that he was having suicidal tendency due low blood pressure and other disease.

His plea was opposed by both the police and the complainant in the case.

Advocate Mohan Tekavde, appearing for the complainant, argued that the accused has not only cheated the public at large but also caused substantial loss to the state exchequer and government treasury by forging government documents through a systematic, well-planned conspiracy and a deliberate course of cheating and fraud.

He submitted that in view of the seriousness of the allegations and the larger interest of justice, Chavan does not deserve bail and ought to remain in judicial custody.