IPS Officer Rashmi Karandikar Accuses Husband Of Physical Abuse, Mental Cruelty And Financial Exploitation; Denies Role In Alleged Scam

In a dramatic turn in the EOW probe into the 'government quota housing scam' and  fake tender for uniforms purchase by  at the Nashik Police Academy, IPS officer Rashmi Karandikar (51)  has submitted a statement to the probe officials levelling serious allegations against her husband Purshottam Chavan (53), the  main accused. She has accused him of repeated physical and psychological abuse, and asserted that his mental health issues and behavior were central to the disputed financial transactions currently under scrutiny by EOW. Chavan is currently in Arthur Road jail in a case filed by the Enforecement Directorate. 

Karandikar has completely distanced herself from the alleged rackets run by her husband and said she has filed for divorce. She has sought to attribute responsibility for a series of contested financial moves to Chavan’s mental condition. 

Karandikar, a 2004-batch officer currently posted as superintendent of police, civil defence in Mumbai, described her husband as “violent, deceitful, and mentally unstable.” In her detailed statement (FPJ has a copy) , she claimed that Chavan subjected her to abusive behavior and financial exploitation for years, carrying out transactions in her name without her knowledge. She asserted that Chavan led a “double life,” concealing his business dealings, financial losses, and movements, using her as a front for bank and demat accounts.

According to Karandikar, she married Chavan in 2005 but her husband's behavior became erratic by 2012. She claimed that he became aggressive and one day simply disappeared for six months, and when he returned, he was so weak that she admitted him to Bhiwandi's Prime Hospital, where Dr. Sujit Sharma diagnosed him with bipolar disorder. "He underwent 25 sessions of shock therapy. His aggression was so severe that he had to be restrained with chains on his hands and feet. Doctors also suspected schizophrenia,” she wrote.

 She added, "I was forced to live with a patient, not a partner." 

She alleged that her in-laws subjected her to mental harassment over her inability to conceive pregnancy. “They accused me of neglecting the household because of my police service. Only my father-in-law, Prabhakar Chavan, remained supportive ....". Between 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Karandikar said she suffered multiple miscarriages and, despite undergoing IVF treatment, was unable to conceive. 

Karandikar alleged that Chavan systematically exploited her financial identity. She claimed that he opened an ICICI Bank account in her name under the Family Plan Scheme in 2015 and forced her to sign a few pages of the cheque book, and when she resisted, he became aggressive. To avoid matrimonial conflict, she said she felt compelled to comply. She added that all communications and transaction notifications related to the account were sent to Chavan’s personal email, leaving her without access or control over it.

The IPS officer also alleged that her personal share trading account with Anugrah Broking was also exploited by her husband.  Under what she described as violent pressure, she reluctantly connected her Anugrah Broking balance to his account at Motilal Oswal, after which he transferred her holdings on October 6, 2020, and sold them without her knowledge on January 6, 2021, resulting in the loss of her hard-earned money.

Additionally, she alleged that her life insurance policy with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance was surrendered by Chavan in March 2023 without her consent, with the proceeds diverted to an account controlled solely by him. She claimed that over the years, he had misappropriated her hard-earned savings, which she had accumulated from her salary, liquidating them repeatedly for his personal use. “Every time I refused to transfer funds, he became violent,” she said.  

Karandikar further alleged that her husband used proceeds from alleged criminal activities and the bank and demat accounts in her name for share trading, all without her knowledge

To publicly clarify her position, she stated that public notices were published in regional and English newspapers on December 25, 2024, disassociating herself from all of Chavan’s financial activities.