A case of large-scale financial misappropriation has come to light in the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), where a former rent collector allegedly siphoned off more than ₹5.70 crore collected from tenants of redeveloped buildings.
Accused Identified in Complaint
According to a complaint filed by Pramod Gnyanba Kamble (50), Property Manager of Circle 4 under the Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board of MHADA, the accused Jagdish Parshuramji Dharmik (57) allegedly misappropriated rent collected from residents between 2015 and 2023.
Property Manager’s Role Explained
Kamble, a resident of Chembur and currently posted at the Property Manager’s office at Swatantra Sainik Bhavan in Worli, stated that his responsibilities include collecting service charges from tenants in redeveloped buildings, overseeing transfers and regularisation of residential and commercial units, and supervising staff working under the property department.
Residents Flag Discrepancies
The matter surfaced in 2023 after residents of several redeveloped MHADA colonies submitted written complaints alleging that rent had been collected improperly. Along with the complaints, residents also submitted photocopies of rent receipts issued to them.
Inquiry Initiated by MHADA
Based on these complaints, the then Property Manager sought an explanation from Dharmik, who was working as a rent collector and senior clerk in the department. However, discrepancies were found between the amounts mentioned in the receipts issued to tenants and the amounts actually deposited in MHADA’s accounts.
Tenure and Departmental Scrutiny
Dharmik had been working as a rent collector in the F-South division of the Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board since June 4, 2015. A departmental inquiry committee comprising Accounts Officer N. R. Rangali, Divisional Accountant Seema Mayekar, Property Manager Pravin Bagul, and Assistant C. D. Ghadle was constituted to investigate the matter.
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Receipt Discrepancies Found
During the investigation, the committee found that Dharmik had issued around 22,209 rent receipts to tenants during his tenure. However, remittance records for only 13,551 receipts were available in the office, while records for 8,658 receipts were missing.
Extent of Misappropriation
Further scrutiny of 6,591 receipt photocopies collected from tenants revealed that 3,368 receipts showed discrepancies between the amounts collected and the amounts deposited with MHADA, indicating a misappropriation of approximately ₹53.26 lakh.
Estimated Total Fraud
Based on the average discrepancy, the committee estimated that Dharmik had misappropriated ₹2.14 crore from the receipts that were partially accounted for. Additionally, the amount corresponding to the 8,658 unaccounted receipts was estimated at ₹3.56 crore.
Suspension and Legal Action
In total, the inquiry concluded that Dharmik had allegedly misappropriated ₹5,70,67,928 during his tenure. Following the findings, Dharmik was suspended from MHADA service on July 10, 2023. Based on Kamble’s complaint, the Dadar Police Station has registered an FIR against Dharmik for allegedly committing financial fraud and causing substantial loss to MHADA. Further investigation into the matter is currently underway.
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