MUMBAI, 18 June 2007 — Several top ranking cops in Maharashtra have made investments in real estate business and allegedly earned millions of rupees. The nexus with real estate developers was exposed last April by Tehelka newspaper and Aaj Tak TV channel. The police officers who came under the scanner were former directors general of police M.N. Singh, K.K. Kashyap, Gyanchand Varma and the present Director General of Police P.S. Pasricha.
Pasricha’s problems increased recently when Police Sub-Inspector Kishore Gaike told a three-member inquiry panel set up by the Maharashtra government that the DGP had misused his position and exerted pressure on him to help estate developer S.M. Ludhani.
During the course of his evidence, Gaike had explained in detail to the inquiry panel as to how Pasricha had pressurized him. Gaike further told the panel that Pasricha, then Additional Director General of Police, Anti Corruption Bureau, had telephoned Ramrao Pawar, the then District Superintendent of Police, Thane Rural and instructed Pawar not to take any action against Ludhani. Accordingly, Pawar repeatedly telephoned Gaike at Bhayander Police Station where he was posted and pressurized him to cancel the registration of offence against the builder. Succumbing to the pressure of Pawar, Gaike said the offence registered against Ludhani was deleted from the police station dairy. The evidence of Gaike is considered important in nailing down Pasricha and may compel the government to remove him.
A day after the expose on the properties that Director General of Police Pasricha owned and sold since 1975 and his alleged nexus with builders, the Shiv Sena – BJP legislators in both the legislatures raised the issue through an adjournment notice and several members of the opposition benches joined them and demanded an explanation from the Government. The Opposition members pointed out that Pasricha's alleged links with builders, underworld and is unaccounted properties at some places in the State was a serious matter. The newspaper – TV expose showed how the police chief allegedly helped a builder after he (Pasricha) was given a rupees 35 millions penthouse at the cost of rupees 5 million in Juhu and another penthouse in Andheri worth rupees 25 million at rupees 5 million.
First the Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister tried to defend Pasricha, but then following noisy scenes and demand of the Opposition parties, Patil had ordered a high level probe into the issue and asked the enquiry panel to submit the report in two months time. Now, the panel has written to the government requesting more time, as the enquiry would take more time.
Patil said that Pasricha's properties existed since 1975 and he had developed is assets by buying immovable properties and selling them off after their value went up. Besides, Pasricha had been submitting the annual report on properties required to be submitted by the officials of All-India Services every year. "But even if there is an iota of truth in the allegations, strict action would be taken," Patil said. E further stated that Pasricha had no personal relationship with either Rajkumar Ludhani of Evershine Developers or S.M. Sawla of SM Developers. However, Patil admitted that when Pasricha was the Additional Director General of Police, Anti Corruption in 2004-05, Ludhani had sought his help claiming that police sub inspector of Bhayander police station, Kishore Gaike, had falsely implicated his son in a civil case and was trying to obtain his son's signature on some document.
Now, what Patil discloses about Pasricha's properties, would be interesting for the readers. In 1975 Pasricha purchased a flat worth rupees 2,97,000 at Dilwara Cooperative Society (of government officials) at Cooperage, near the state government secretariat (South Mumbai) and sold it in year 2000 for rupees 14 million. From the money received, he bought a commercial plot at Kolhapur for rupees, 12.7 million. Dilwara is a housing society of Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers. Pasricha had sold the flat to the then Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) scamster S.D. Karnik.
In the year 1985 Pasricha family purchased 2.5 acres of land at Shahanurwadi in Aurangabad town for Rs. 99,000 and sold the land in year 2003 for rupees. 1,75,00,000. In 1986 Pasricha bought a plot of 480 square meters land at New Bharat Cooperative Housing Society at Nashik by paying a membership of rupees 18,000 and paid rupees 25,000 as development charges. In year 2001, he purchased a flat in Lady Ratan Tower at Lower Parel (Mumbai) for rupees. 10 million and sold it in 2004 for rupees 12.5 million. The same year he sold property purchased by his family at Pune in 1991, for rupees 70,000 and a commercial property at New Mumbai for rupees 3,36,550 and purchased a 1,900 square feet commercial space at Sangli for rupees 300,000. In year 2004 he invested rupees 5 million each in a flat at Andheri and Juhu. In 2005, Pasricha booked a flat constructed by Afcon Develpers in Western Suburbs of Mumbai by paying rupees 5 million as the booking amount. He also paid rupees 2 million as a member of the Shagufta Cooperative housing Society of government servants at Cidco, New Mumbai in year 1992.
Paricha is also alleged of having property in the name of his wife worth rupees 5 million in a SRA project in Juhu being constructed by builder Shailesh Sawla, who ad flouted norms while constructing the SRA project. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police were investigating the case when Pasricha allegedly pressurized officers of the EOW to go slow and no action was taken against Sawla.
Pasricha refuted all the charges against him and said that somebody is trying to frame him because he ad taken strong action against few high profile police officers. "I am aware there are some people who have vested interest against me for having tried to malign me this way. But I have furnished each and every detail of properties purchased by me to the government. The TV channel and the newspaper are trying to defame me and asked if there was any bar on a police officer investing in properties? Pasricha threatened that he has filed a defamation case of rupees 50 million against the TV channel and the newspaper.
Another former Director General of Police, M.N. Singh is reported to have bought a flat in Sarang Cooperative Housing Society, also a society of IPS and IAS officers, in South Bombay from another former Director General of Police K.K. Kashyap for rupees 31.5 million. Singh defended the purchase as totally legal stating that the flat was purchased by his son, who was more than capable of purchasing such flats.
High ranking IAS and IPS officers in Mumbai were of the opinion that the government should remove Pasricha immediately as a damage control exercise, and retain him back, if he is cleared of the charges by the enquiry panel. Also the officers insisted that the government should probe into similar properties brought by IPS and IAS officers in the past and their sources of income to purchase the same.
