In the 263-crores TDS refund fraud case involving Purushottam Chavan, the husband of a Maharashtra-cadre IPS officer, it has been revealed that the police officer's car and her staff, including her orderly and driver, were used to carry consignments of cash.
The staff, in their statements to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), said that they ferried cash consignments five to seven times on Chavan's instructions. Sources in the ED said that the driver and orderly, in their sworn testimony to the agency, disclosed receiving cash consignments several times from Rajesh Batreja, another accused businessman implicated in the case.
Moreover, the staff members gave details of a series of events where, allegedly under the directives of Chavan, they didn't need to venture far to procure the cash consignments. On each occasion, they acquired the cash from various locations across South Mumbai, all within a 5 km radius around Colaba.
They claimed that their sole task was to ferry these cash consignments to Chavan's Colaba residence. Chavan's IPS officer wife resides in a government-provided accommodation in Colaba with him.
In their statement, the staff members admitted that they were using the official car of the IPS officer for these cash consignment collection operations. In their statement, they further revealed that on several occasions when they collected cash from Batreja, the latter handed over bags full of cash to them.
However, they were unaware of the specific amount and purpose for which Batreja was delivering the money to Chavan. Additionally, Batreja allegedly took photographs of the constables on his mobile phone for record-keeping purposes. During the investigation, ED officials recovered these photographs from Batreja's mobile handset.
According to reliable sources close to the investigation, Batreja reportedly claimed during interrogation that he disbursed Rs 12 crore to Chavan. This payment purportedly followed promises made by Chavan to leverage his connections and assist in the ongoing In the 263 crore TDS refund fraud case.
According to ED officials, Chavan allegedly received approximately ₹8-10 crore under the guise of being able to sway the investigation in favor of an accused. Furthermore, the ED uncovered evidence suggesting that Chavan received an additional ₹2 crore in cash, which remains unaccounted for.
Batreja has been identified as a close associate of the main accused in the case, former I-T official Tanaji Adhikari. In the fraud case, the main accused, Tanaji Mandal Adhikari, generated Rs. 263.95 crore in proceeds of crime (POC) from the Income Tax Department between November 15, 2019, and November 4, 2020.
Rajesh Batreja played a key role, with the help of Chavan, in diverting Rs. 55.50 crore of this amount, converting it into cash, and aiding Adhikari in concealing the funds by transferring them to Dubai. During Batreja’s custodial interrogation, his transactions with Purushottam Chavan were uncovered.
According to the ED, they had not found any direct evidence against the IPS officer, but the financial probe agency suspected her role in the case. It remains puzzling how she was oblivious to the fact that her official vehicle was being used to collect cash.
Additionally, it raises questions about her unawareness of the presence of 150 crore rupees' worth of fake, non-existent government quota properties within her premises, along with the intricate details of substantial transactions associated with him.
During the search, ED officials unearthed documents related to various properties in Mumbai and Thane. These records included documentation for two sizable flats in Worli, measuring 3000 and 1600 square feet. In addition, Transferable Development Rights (TDR) for land parcels in Mumbai and Pune, valued at ₹150 crore, were found registered in the names of multiple individuals.
Further investigation by the ED revealed that Chavan had fabricated these documents. He is accused of deceiving innocent individuals in need of flats by creating fake property documents and registering these non-existent government properties under various names to mask the fraudulent activities, thereby defrauding people.
