Mumbai: Bank chairman arrested for forging MP’s signature

MP Rajendra Gavit. Pic/Hanif Patel; (right) Habib Shaikh forged documents to get funds for road repair work at 10 locations

The chairman of Jawhar Urban Cooperative Bank, Habib Ahmed Shaikh, has been arrested by Mokhada police for making fake letterheads of Palghar MP Rajendra Gavit and forging his signature to fraudulently get the approval for road development projects worth Rs 10 crore.

"The matter came to light after I learnt that a lot of funds had been invested for repairing Jawhar Mokhada Vihigaon state highway number 78 despite me not sending any letter in this regard to Mantralaya. I was shocked to learn that a fraudster had made fake letterheads in my name and also forged my signature to fraudulently get a sanction of Rs 10 crore from the PWD office for the repair work at 10 different locations along the state highway," Gavit told mid-day.

Gavit then asked his PA Pravin Ghogari to register an FIR at Mokhada police station. "During the preliminary investigation, we learnt that the documents submitted to the chief minister's office were bogus. When I enquired further with the PWD office as to who was taking interest in the follow-up and pushing the forged documents to get supplementary budget for repairing the roads, Shaikh's name came to light. We have been investigating the matter since August 6," Ghogari told mid-day.

He added that on August 18, an FIR was registered against Shaikh under Sections 419, 420, 464, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code after which he was arrested.
According to Gavit, Shaikh is a road contractor and the right-hand man of Nilesh Sambre, founder of the Jijau Sangathana NGO. "Contractors like Shaikh have been making forged documents to make huge sums of money," he told mid-day.

When contacted, Sambre said, "Shaikh is not a close associate of mine. He became the chairman of Jawhar Urban Cooperative Bank in December/January. He is not a member of my NGO. He is a resident of Moranda in Mokhada taluka. I have nothing to do with him now."

A source at Mokhada police station said Shaikh was produced before a local court, which remanded him in police custody for two days. "Our investigations are underway," said the officer.

Rs 10cr
Value of the scam