Mumbai: A case has been registered at Chembur Police Station against a former municipal corporator for allegedly contesting elections using a fake caste certificate and defrauding the government and the public.

The complaint was filed by Chitra Anant Salunke (63), an advocate and resident of Chembur, who runs a legal firm along with her son. The accused has been identified as Ramesh Suresh Kamble, a former corporator from Ward No. 192 (Borla North–Deonar Abattoir).

According to the complaint, Kamble contested the 2002 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections from a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes by allegedly submitting a caste certificate claiming he belonged to the Hindu Mahar community. He won the election with 4,721 votes and served as corporator.

However, the runner-up candidate, Rajendra Vaman Waghmare, later raised objections and filed a complaint with the Divisional Caste Scrutiny Committee at Konkan Bhavan, Navi Mumbai. Following an inquiry, the committee, on November 11, 2005, concluded that Kamble was not from a Scheduled Caste but was a Christian by birth, based on documentary evidence including school records and a baptism certificate from a church in Matunga.

The committee declared his caste certificate, issued by the Sub-Divisional Officer, Mulund, in 1998, as invalid. Kamble challenged the decision in multiple courts, including the Small Causes Court, the Bombay High Court, and later the Supreme Court. However, all courts upheld the findings of the caste scrutiny committee.

Following the disqualification, Waghmare was declared elected and served as corporator for the remaining term. The complaint further alleges that Kamble knowingly used forged documents to obtain the caste certificate and subsequently contested and held public office from February 2002 to November 23, 2006, thereby gaining undue benefits.

Based on the complaint, police have registered a case against Kamble under IPC Sections 193, 199, 406, 420, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, and 471 for forgery, cheating, and criminal breach of trust. Further investigation is underway.

Mumbai: The body of a 55-year-old man was found between Jogeshwari and Ram Mandir railway tracks on Thursday at around 3 pm. Initially, the police suspected it to be a case of suicide. However, the deceased’s brother filed a complaint against the man’s wife, alleging abetment of suicide. Following the complaint, the Borivali Railway Police registered a case of abetment of suicide on Thursday.

The police identified the deceased as Nitin Chavan, an artist who made statues and lived in Nalasopara. His wife, Madhura Chavan, 47, works with an NGO. The couple reportedly argued frequently over household matters. The police said that initially they suspected it to be a case of suicide.

However, the deceased’s brother approached the GRP (Government Railway Police) and claimed that his brother had shared a video with him before his death. In the video, the deceased reportedly said that he was fed up with his wife and intended to commit suicide.

Passengers informed the police that a man had died after coming under a local train, though it has not yet been confirmed which train was involved. The police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.

Bhubaneswar, April 3: The Sambalpur police in Odisha have arrested two employees of the Excise Department, including a retired Excise Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), in connection with a case involving large-scale embezzlement of government funds worth over Rs 3.67 crore between 2022 and 2025, said Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo, Superintendent of Police, Sambalpur district, on Friday.

The accused persons arrested in the fraud case have been identified as Sandeep Kumar Pattnaik, a junior assistant (currently under suspension), and Sarat Chandra Behera, a retired Excise ASI.

Meanwhile, the police sources also revealed that another accused in the case, retired Excise ASI Achyuta Dehury, is still on the run. Serious financial irregularities came to light during an audit of the Excise Department’s financial records by authorities, including the Principal Accountant General (A&E), Odisha.

Subsequently, based on a written report submitted by Ashok Kumar Seth, I/C Deputy Commissioner of Excise (Northern Division), Sambalpur, the Ainthapali police registered a case (73/26) on March 9 and launched an investigation into the massive fraud.

The cops, during investigation, found that multiple unauthorised sanction orders were generated through the IFMS portal in favour of the retired Excise ASI Achyuta Dehury, leading to excess withdrawal of pension and salary arrears between November 2022 and October 2025. The official records, such as bill registers and cash books, were also found to be manipulated and not properly maintained.

“During investigation, bank account analysis showed suspicious high-value transactions, including large cash withdrawals and transfers to associates, indicating misappropriation and diversion of Government funds,” the police also added.

The accused Pattnaik, who was dealing with establishment matters, was arrested by the cops on March 28 for his involvement in the misappropriation of government funds to the tune of Rs 3.67 crore.

The police also managed to arrest another accused, Behera, Retd. ASI, on March 31. The accused persons, by abusing their official position, allegedly manipulated financial records, generated fraudulent sanctions, and siphoned off Government money, causing wrongful loss to the State exchequer and corresponding gain to themselves.

The police have so far seized Rs 23,46,500 from the possession of accused Pattnaik, while another Rs 44 lakh from the total defrauded amount transferred to various accounts has been frozen by the police.