Mumbai: IPS officer Rashmi Karandikar has, in her statement to the EOW, has categorically denied ever meeting complainant Rao Saheb Desai, rejecting any suggestion of her involvement in allegations connected to her husband, Purushottam Chavan. However, Desai’s statement to investigators presents a sharply different version, placing Karandikar directly in the chain of events in the fake tender case at the Maharashtra Police Academy (MPA), Nashik.
According to the chargesheet filed by the EOW, Desai stated that in March 2018,Chavan told him that Karandikar was a visiting faculty at MPA. Desai claimed Chavan informed him that the Academy required bulk supplies of “international-standard, high-quality fabric khaki T-shirts and olive-coloured hoodies” for the trainees, and promised to help him secure a supply contract valued at Rs 60 crore.
Desai alleged that he prepared samples as instructed and delivered them to Chavan’s official residence located above the Colaba Police Station. He further claimed that Karandikar was present during the meeting, examined the garments, and even suggested corrections. After incorporating these changes, Desai said he supplied a complete set of samples in all sizes, which Chavan later approved.
According to Desai, he then produced consignments worth nearly Rs 6.5 crore and was prepared to deliver them to MPA. However, he alleged that Chavan cautioned him against approaching the Academy directly, assuring him that he would personally arrange the supply. Desai maintained that Chavan kept stalling until his arrest in the Rs 263-crore TDS fraud case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). By then, Desai alleged that he invested his own funds, including taking an unsecured loan from a private institution, and complied with the order, but the payment was never made.
In stark contrast, Karandikar has strongly refuted these allegations. In a detailed written statement, she clarified that, apart from delivering guest lectures at the Nashik Academy two to three times to Police Sub-Inspector batches, she had no role in procurement. “I have no association whatsoever with MPA. The entire tender process of the Maharashtra government is online, and specifications are published transparently. I was never part of any tender or specification committee,” she said.
She also dismissed claims of her presence at Chavan’s Colaba residence. “Raosaheb Desai had never come to the government quarters located above the Colaba Police Station. So, there is no question of me being present in any such meeting,” she said.
Calling Desai’s allegations “false and misleading,” Karandikar stressed that hoodies and khaki T-shirts are never part of training gear at the Academy. She underlined that she has never been a partner, director, or participant in her husband’s business firms and has no knowledge of his dealings. “There is a disconnect between me and my husband. I have no knowledge of his transactions, either in India or Dubai. I came to know of such allegations only after the FIR and through newspapers,” she added.
Karandikar also pointed out that Desai, an educated professional, is well aware of the e-tendering process, suggesting that his claims of being misled were inconsistent.
Multiple FIRs have already been registered against Chavan for allegedly collecting over Rs 27 crore from Desai and others by promising government plots and contracts. Karandikar has insisted she has no knowledge or involvement in any of these matters, nor has she ever interacted with other accused named in the FIRs.
When The Free Press Journal (FPJ) contacted Raosaheb Desai, he claimed that after Chavan’s arrest in the Rs 263 crore TDS fraud case by the ED, he along with another alleged victim, Jariwala, went to meet Karandikar at her Civil Defence office in Mumbai.
Desai alleged that Karandikar assured them that Chavan would soon secure bail and that all pending issues, including the return of his money, would be settled. Desai further alleged that Karandikar misled investigators by denying any knowledge of him or other victims.
Desai also pointed out that his partnership with Chavan in Rasmina Exports began in July 2019, when Chavan, along with NIIT Dean of Technical Head Textiles Suresh Pothambikar (another alleged victim), traveled to Surat to meet him to start a garment business under the name Rasmina Exports. According to Desai, the firm was floated in the name of Rashmi Karandikar. He produced some silk samples which they had agreed to manufacture and supply.Desai said Chavan told him that, since Karandikar was a government officer, she could not run or be directly involved in the business. As a result, Chavan arranged for the company to be managed jointly by Desai and Pothambikar.
Desai claimed that the company was formally registered as Rasmina Exports, and an office was acquired in Goregaon. He said both he and Pothambikar invested in setting up the business, while Chavan promised to secure contracts through his network. “He never arranged any business as promised. By 2024, the company removed him from the board of directors,” Desai said.
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According to EOW officials, when asked about Rasmina Exports, Karandikar stressed: “I have never been a partner or director in any of my husband’s firms, including Rasmina, nor have I participated in or promoted his companies in any way. I have little to no knowledge of his business activities.”
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