Mumbai: The CSMT Railway Police have registered an FIR against Saeed Ejaz for allegedly forging a letter and faking the signature of Member of Parliament Suresh Mhatre, also known as Balya Mama (Bhiwandi Constituency, NCP-Sharad Pawar).
The forged letter was addressed to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, requesting two tickets for the Devgiri Express. The case was officially lodged by the railway police on June 2.
A specific quota is reserved in Indian Railways under the names of Members of Parliament. If an MP provides a recommendation letter on official letterhead, the concerned passenger can be allotted a ticket under the MP quota.
According to the FIR, On May 30, the Assistant Manager of the Reservation Department of Central Railway received such a recommendation letter, purportedly sent by Bhiwandi MP Suresh Mhatre alias Balya Mama.
The letter was dropped into the railway’s confirmation dropbox and was addressed to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. It requested two air-conditioned tickets from the MP quota in the Sevagram Express for Saeed Ejaz, for travel from Mumbai to Nanded on May 31.
However, the Railway administration grew suspicious of the letter and contacted MP Mhatre’s personal assistant, Akash Patil, 24. Patil confirmed that the signature on the letter was forged and that the content was handwritten—raising further suspicion, as MP Mhatre’s letters are always typed by his assistant and then signed by the MP.
The inward and outward details on the letter were also incorrect. Moreover, MP Mhatre was abroad on May 30. After returning, MP Mhatre personally confirmed that the signature on the letter was not his and that the document was a forgery.
Following this, Akash Patil filed a complaint at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Railway Police Station. Based on the complaint, police registered a case against Saeed Ejaz under sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(2), 336(3) (forgery), and 340(2) (use of forged documents or electronic records) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
