Punekars Question Government Officials After Series of High-Profile Scams

After a series of recent incidents involving fraudulent clearances, forged documents and suspicious approvals, serious questions have arisen about the functioning of the verification system by the government officials in each department.

Residents across the city are demanding strong action not only against the prime accused but also against the government officials who allegedly gave these clearances without any proper verification. The pattern of repeated lapses has raised questions.

Vijay Kumbhar, an RTI activist, alleged that this is not negligence; the officials are part of the crime. "Suspension over the crime is not a solution or justice. If someone can get a gun licence with fake papers, what does that mean? It is not open to all, and it is a hard process to get a gun license. Recently, 2 FIRs have been lodged over bogus voting. Thousands of fake voter IDs could not be obtained without the involvement of any official. The responsible accused should be terminated immediately from his role," he said.  

Another resident, Sneha James, a resident of Sinhagad Road, expressed concern over the passport clearance granted to an accused gangster. "How does such a person get a passport while thousands of normal applicants face strict scrutiny? This is the real view of corruption in each department," she said.  

"Rs 300 crore deal cannot happen without top-level approval. Police investigation is just a part of the formalities; the real accused are not even named by the police," said Rohan Patil, an IT professional.

Recent Cases

1. Police seized more than 400 bullets from Ajay Sarode, a close associate of gangster Nilesh Ghaywal. Sarode reportedly obtained a firearm licence in February 2024 using fake documentation, including no crime records. Despite mandatory background checks, the licence was approved without proper scrutiny.

2. Gangster Nilesh Ghaywal himself secured clearance for a passport, after which he left the country after committing a series of crimes in the city. Later, Pune Police issued a Red Corner and Blue Corner Notice against him.

3. A government land (earlier Maharvatan land) deal was finalised for Rs 300 crore using forged and irrelevant documents. Moreover, the stamp duty was also waived off. After that, Pune Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) arrested Sheetal Tejwani in connection with the controversial land deals in Pune district, a multi-crore land scam where she allegedly acted as the power of attorney to Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, is a partner.