Purshottam Chavan Used Identity Of Dead Man As Government Officer To Fox His Victims

Mumbai: Investigation by the the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai police into the government quota housing scam, has revealed that accused Purshottam Chavan allegedly exploited the photograph and biometric details of a deceased individual to commit a multi-crore property frauds. Chavan reportedly used this stolen identity to impersonate a government official and forge documents for properties linked to a fictitious government housing scheme.

According to investigators, Chavan allegedly used the identity of late Balubhai Bhadani for nearly four years after his death in May 2021. Interestingly, Bhadani too was a victim of Chavan's fraud. Chavan is accused of misusing Bhadani’s photograph and biometric data to impersonate Yashwant Pawar, a revenue officer of Mantralaya, on forged “Agreement for Sale” documents. These documents contained falsified government stamps and signatures, falsely representing the fabricated Bhadani-Pawar persona as an authorised officer of Maharashtra’s Housing Scheme.

Using these forged documents, Chavan allegedly created bogus paperwork for properties across Worli, Parel, Bandra, Thane, and Panvel. These flats were presented as part of a government quota housing scheme, supported by forged letters bearing signatures of a Maharashtra government secretary.

Sanjay Kumar Balubhai Bhadani, son of the deceased, emerged as a key witness in the case. In his statement to the EOW, he alleged that Chavan fraudulently induced him and his late father to invest in Flat No. 4003 on the 40th floor of ICC One, Land City Center, Prabhadevi, Mumbai.The accused allegedly collected a total of approximately Rs 3.65 crore, which was transferred to his bank accounts.

The EOW stated that Chavan allegedly sent only scanned copies of the forged “Agreement for Sale” via WhatsApp from an overseas number to Sanjaykumar’s brother, Ramesh Bhadani. Despite full payment, possession of the flat was never handed over.

During the probe, Sanjay Kumar was shown counterfeit government documents that had been seized earlier by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during a May 19 raid last year, at the Colaba residence of IPS officer Rashmi Karandikar who is the wife of the accused. The ED had subsequently handed over these documents to the EOW for further investigation. Sanjay Kumar immediately recognized his late father’s photograph, which had been illicitly used to impersonate Yashwant Pawar.

The EOW also uncovered a second fabricated identity: “Narayan Sawant,” a purported undersecretary in the housing department. However, a probe confirmed that no such officer existed . According to investigators, the identity of “Narayan Sawant” appears to be entirely fictitious.The photograph, name, and identification details were pieced together from multiple unrelated individuals, suggesting that the accused fabricated the character by combining information from several different sources.

During questioning in custody, Purshottam Chavan initially attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that an associate, Sohail Shaikh, had assisted him in preparing the forged documents, stamps, and other tool materials used in the fraud. He stated that Shaikh resided in Bhiwandi and that he had known him for the past 20 years, but did not know his residential address or phone number. The investigation, however, quickly revealed that Sohail Shaikh did not exist. This glaring inconsistency served as a critical red-flag for the EOW, confirming that Chavan was the main perpetrator and was attempting to evade responsibility by implicating a fictitious individual.

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The EOW has collected Purshottam Chavan's handwriting samples for forensic analysis. According to the filed chargesheet, during a search at the accused’s residence conducted by the ED last year, original documents were seized. Chavan admitted that he had personally signed these documents and also acknowledged that the forged signatures on other papers had been made by him.

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