Navi Mumbai: A lawyer from Kharghar has been booked by Panvel City Police for allegedly preparing a fake minor certificate bearing the forged seal and signature of an Additional Sessions Judge. The racket, exposed during a land transaction, comes close on the heels of the bogus heirship certificate scam in Panvel Court.

According to police, complainant Ladhavji Patel (57), a builder from Vashi, was negotiating to purchase a plot in Ulwe Sector 17 when one of the co-owners, Giridhar Ramakant Gharat, died leaving behind his wife and two minor children. Patel required a minor certificate from the court to complete the deal.

As the court procedure was delayed, Gharat’s cousin Sagar Gharat offered to get the certificate quickly through his lawyer for Rs 1 lakh. On September 10, he handed Patel a purported court order showing approval of the minor certificate, allegedly signed and sealed by Additional Sessions Judge D.E. Kothalikar.

Patel later verified the document in Panvel Court, only to find it was completely bogus. When questioned before the court, Sagar Gharat admitted that the document had been supplied by Advocate V.K. Sharma of Kharghar.

“We have registered a case of cheating and forgery against Advocate Sharma and begun further investigation,” said a police officer from Panvel City police station.

This case follows the November 2024 bogus heirship certificate scam in Panvel Court, in which forged heirship documents with fake signatures of judges and staff were circulated. In that case, police had registered four offences, arrested three lawyers, a court employee, and an agent, and filed a chargesheet in one matter, while probes in the others continue.

Mumbai: The Crime Branch Unit 6, Chembur, has busted a fake job racket and arrested the alleged mastermind. Police have appealed to citizens to immediately contact them if they have been cheated with fake job appointment letters by the accused in the ongoing case.

According to the police, an FIR has been registered under Sections 318(4), 316(2), 204, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (cheating with impersonation as a police officer) at RCF Police Station.

The complainant, a vegetable vendor residing at Mahul MHADA Colony, Chembur, alleged that the accused duped her by promising a government job for her husband in the Income Tax Department.

The accused have been identified as, Vishal Arun Kamble (35) posed as a fake police officer, Sahil Nitin Gaikwad (20) acted as the mediator, Prakash Dinkar Bhalerao (40) the alleged mastermind who created fake documents and appointment letters.

Police sources said Vishal Kamble introduced himself as a police officer and gained the trust of the complainant. He then assured her that her husband would be given a job in the Income Tax Department. Over time, the complainant paid him a total of ₹8 lakh. Neither was her husband employed, nor was the money returned.

During investigation, it was revealed that accused Prakash Bhalerao was the mastermind, preparing fake documents and appointment letters for circulation. Acting on a tip-off, API Dhutraj and his team (ASI Desai, PC Bodhare, HCD Dhale) conducted technical surveillance on Bhalerao’s phone and, with the help of an informant, apprehended him at Suman Nagar, Chunabhatti.

Police confirmed Bhalerao’s involvement in the scam and placed him under arrest. He has been produced before the court for remand. The Crime Branch has appealed to the public to come forward if they have received fake appointment letters from the accused.

Mumbai: The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch on Friday recreated the crime scene in the sensational INSAS rifle theft case at Navy Nagar, Colaba. The exercise, which lasted for about an hour, began around 6 pm, with both arrested accused — Rakesh Dubulla (20) and his elder brother Umesh Dubulla (25) — present at the spot.

According to investigators, the duo allegedly stole the rifle with the motive of creating terror in the forests of Asifabad, Telangana, using high-tech weaponry. Police suspect the brothers also intended to expand their extortion activities in the region.

Rakesh, an Agniveer jawan posted at INS Kochi, had earlier served at INS Garuda in Mumbai in February 2024, giving him prior knowledge of Navy Nagar’s internal setup. His brother Umesh, police revealed, is allegedly involved in illicit liquor trade and extortion rackets in Telangana. Mumbai Police have sought details of Umesh’s criminal record from the Telangana Police. Investigators believe the brothers were planning to establish dominance in forest areas through rackets involving teakwood, tendu leaves, ayurvedic herbs, and liquor smuggling.

On September 6, Umesh allegedly entered Navy Nagar impersonating a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) member. He approached a 20-year-old jawan on radar protection duty at AP Towers and convinced him to hand over his rifle along with two loaded magazines and one empty magazine. The jawan later realised he had been duped, and the weapon was missing.

Police said Rakesh tossed the rifle over the compound wall to Umesh, after which the two fled to Telangana via train from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. The stolen rifle and magazines were later recovered from a forest area near their home in Asifabad, where they had been hidden in bushes.