Nagpur: Municipal Police special investigation team ,sitAfter the biggest ever action against the sand mafia in the state, the Crime Branch has prepared a charge sheet of 10,000 pages against 78 accused. In the investigation, the racketeers have been accused of defrauding the Maharashtra government of crores of rupees.
Based on the same investigation report, the revenue department has recovered a fine of around Rs 5 crore from the racketeers. Around 100 vehicles were identified and several of them were seized for transporting stolen sand. Sources said the SIT report about substantial transactions of unaccounted cash in various accounts was also forwarded to the Enforcement Directorate.
During investigation, the city police unearthed a scam involving irregular Electronic Transit Passes (ETPs) issued to racketeers based in Narsinghpur and Seoni and used by sand mafia based in Nagpur district. During the investigation, the SIT of the city police had identified 458 such ETP And seized stolen sand worth Rs 1.50 crore.
The evidence forwarded to the ED included specific examples of money laundering in multiple fake and genuine accounts of sand mafia racketeers like Guddu Khorgade and Narendra Pimple. This was done to avoid government taxes and surcharges. Sources said the names of some high profile politicians and abuse of power by revenue officials were also part of the report sent to the ED.
CP Amitesh Kumar, under whose charge the SIT and DCP M Sudarshan prepared the charge sheet, said that the financial and legal Audit was conducted to corroborate the evidence. “A comprehensive charge sheet has been prepared against sand ghat owners, transporters, agents, middlemen, lease holders and those pretending to be their carriers,” the CP said. He said that the case revealed that the sand mafia was using fake ETPs to cheat the entire system of ground level investigation. The case was investigated by Assistant PI Mayur Chaurasia.
Apart from the fake ETP cases, the city police have also registered three other cases against the sand mafia. A case was registered at Ambajhari police station last year against two people who sold the stolen sand to MOIL. An offense was registered against Pimple at Koradi police station Extortion He then demanded money from the co-accused by promising to bribe the police and judiciary to settle their cases. Another case has been registered against Khorgade and his wife at the Sadar police station for selling stolen sand.
Based on the same investigation report, the revenue department has recovered a fine of around Rs 5 crore from the racketeers. Around 100 vehicles were identified and several of them were seized for transporting stolen sand. Sources said the SIT report about substantial transactions of unaccounted cash in various accounts was also forwarded to the Enforcement Directorate.
During investigation, the city police unearthed a scam involving irregular Electronic Transit Passes (ETPs) issued to racketeers based in Narsinghpur and Seoni and used by sand mafia based in Nagpur district. During the investigation, the SIT of the city police had identified 458 such ETP And seized stolen sand worth Rs 1.50 crore.
The evidence forwarded to the ED included specific examples of money laundering in multiple fake and genuine accounts of sand mafia racketeers like Guddu Khorgade and Narendra Pimple. This was done to avoid government taxes and surcharges. Sources said the names of some high profile politicians and abuse of power by revenue officials were also part of the report sent to the ED.
CP Amitesh Kumar, under whose charge the SIT and DCP M Sudarshan prepared the charge sheet, said that the financial and legal Audit was conducted to corroborate the evidence. “A comprehensive charge sheet has been prepared against sand ghat owners, transporters, agents, middlemen, lease holders and those pretending to be their carriers,” the CP said. He said that the case revealed that the sand mafia was using fake ETPs to cheat the entire system of ground level investigation. The case was investigated by Assistant PI Mayur Chaurasia.
Apart from the fake ETP cases, the city police have also registered three other cases against the sand mafia. A case was registered at Ambajhari police station last year against two people who sold the stolen sand to MOIL. An offense was registered against Pimple at Koradi police station Extortion He then demanded money from the co-accused by promising to bribe the police and judiciary to settle their cases. Another case has been registered against Khorgade and his wife at the Sadar police station for selling stolen sand.