Mumbai: The Malabar Hill Police have arrested a 42-year-old man named Pravin Sathe for forging the signature of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and declaring himself as his Chief Executive Officer. The accused also used a fake letterhead bearing Pawar’s name to perpetrate his fraud.
Sathe claimed to be the Chief Executive Officer at Ajit Pawar’s official residence, ‘Devagiri Bungalow,’ and allegedly used this false identity to deceive multiple people. The police alleged that he posed as a government official to carry out various fraudulent activities. Originally hailing from Satara, Sathe was arrested from Ulwe following a complaint filed by Pune-based businessman Atul Shitole.
According to Malabar Hill Police, Sathe’s fraudulent activities came to light after complaints surfaced. The investigation revealed that a similar case involving misuse of letterheads and seals of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had occurred recently.
Just as the Shinde forgery scandal is still fresh, this case involving Ajit Pawar’s forged signature and letterhead adds to concerns about the misuse of official identities for scams.
The Malabar Hill Police are continuing their investigation to identify other potential victims and determine the full extent of Sathe’s fraudulent operations.
