A case of alleged embezzlement has been registered against Maruti Navale, the founder of the Sinhagad Institute, following a complaint filed by Rahul Eknath Kokate at the Kondhwa Police Station. The case was lodged at Kondhwa Police Station on Tuesday.
According to the complaint, Maruti Navale is accused of embezzling funds from the provident fund of employees at Sinhagad City School, located in the Tilekarnagar area of Kondhwa.
As per the complaint, the provident fund deductions were made from the salaries of 115 to 136 employees of the school. Over the period from October 2019 to June 2022, a total of Rs. 74,68,626 was deducted from the employees' salaries.
Out of the deducted amount, Rs. 3,75,774 was reported to have been deposited in the Provident Office. However, a significant sum of Rs. 70,92,862 was allegedly embezzled.
Rahul Eknath Kokate, the complainant, asserts that Maruti Navale failed to deposit the deducted amount into the provident fund, accusing him of embezzling funds intended for the employees' welfare.
Taking the matter to the court, Kokate filed a private criminal case against Navale. Subsequently, the court issued an order to register a case of embezzlement against Maruti Navale. Assistant Police Inspector Vijay Babar has been assigned to investigate the allegations further.
Maruti Navale, the founder of Sinhagad Institute, is known for its educational institutions across various disciplines, faces mounting concerns within the educational community and among the institute's stakeholders.
As the investigation is set to unfold, authorities are said to scrutinize financial records and statements to determine the veracity of the allegations. The case is expected to undergo legal proceedings, with the court overseeing the investigation and subsequent actions.
Senior Police Inspector of Kondhwa Police Station, said, "The case was registered as per the court's order under IPC sections 406, 409, and the Provident Funds Act. We are now actively investigating the case."
DCP Vikrant Deshmukh (Zone 5) stated, "This case comes directly from the court, as the complainant directly approached the court. After the court order, we completed the complaint process."
Kokate said, "I am an employee of the Provident Fund office, and we found that they did not deposit the Provident fund of the staff, which was deducted from the salary accounts of the employees. That's why we approached the court and filed the case."
Maruti Navle, the founder of the Sinhgad Institute, responded to the allegations made by Kokate saying, "This is a fake case registered against me. During the pandemic period, we provided an advance payment to the staff and also deposited the Provident fund amount. They created a fake report against me, and we will challenge this case in court."
