EOW arrests real estate developer for cheating, forgery in Mumbai

The Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) officials arrested a real estate developer for allegedly trying to usurp his father’s property worth several crores of rupees in which his sister claims to have a share by forging her signature.

According to the EOW, the accused, Mandar Chogle, 50, and the complainant, Padmaja Patil, are siblings. Their father, Ratnakar Chogle, passed away. Ratnakar was a retired assistant commissioner of police in the Mumbai police and had served in the crime branch as well as at DN Nagar police station.

Based on Patil’s complaint, the Borivli police filed an FIR on May 18, 2014, against Mandar for alleging forging her signature on a deed of relinquishment and submitting it in the sub-registrar’s office at Andheri in 2013. The deed states that she does not want a share in her father’s property.

As the property, which includes vacant plots and flats at Babhai area in Borivli (West), is valued at more than Rs3 crore, the case was transferred to the EOW to probe.

A source in the EOW said the document has been forged, but it is yet to be ascertained if it was used for any criminal purpose. The siblings are already fighting a civil case over the property in court. Mandar even filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Bombay high court (HC). While the HC rejected his plea, it has asked to take its permission before filing a charge sheet against Mandar.

Mandar was then arrested and produced before the magistrate’s court, which has remanded him in police custody.