Mumbai police have taken decisive action against a major financial fraud in the city's solar energy sector. The Economic Offences Wing registered a case involving a forged bank guarantee worth Rs 99.5 crore. This fraudulent document was submitted during a tender process for a solar power project.
Key Accused Named in FIR
Police officials identified multiple individuals in their investigation. The FIR names three directors from a Gujarat-based company called Om Yash CJR Lamat Via Projects Pvt Ltd. These directors are Hiteshbhai Ravia, Hirenkumar Kanani, and Bhaveshkumar Patel. Additionally, the assistant general manager of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, Rahul Panhale, faces charges in this case.
How the Fraud Unfolded
The scheme centered around the Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0. This solar power generation scheme aims to provide reliable electricity to farmers for agricultural pumps across Maharashtra. MSEDCL operates this important initiative.
On March 20 last year, Rahul Panhale allegedly sent a verification email from his official MSEDCL account. He directed this email to a bank ID that closely resembled the authentic bank's email address. The reply came from this fake ID, confirming the bank guarantee as genuine. This document then supported the company's tender submission.
Om Yash CJR Lamat Via Projects Pvt Ltd won the bid based on this fraudulent guarantee. However, the company failed to begin any work even six months after securing the project. This inactivity raised suspicions at MSEDCL headquarters.
Investigation Reveals Conspiracy
MSEDCL launched a thorough scrutiny of the documents. Their examination exposed the bank guarantee as completely forged. The document purported to come from a public sector bank's Gujarat branch but contained false information.
Police investigators believe this was a coordinated conspiracy. They allege the three company directors collaborated with the MSEDCL official to execute this fraud. Normally, MSEDCL could encash a bank guarantee if a company failed to deliver on project commitments. In this instance, the guarantee itself proved worthless because it was fabricated.
Legal Proceedings Underway
MSEDCL filed a formal complaint with Nirmal Nagar police station in Bandra. The Economic Offences Wing has since taken over the investigation. Inspector Salim Shikalgar now leads the probe into this complex financial crime.
Attempts to contact accused official Rahul Panhale proved unsuccessful. His mobile phone remained switched off when journalists tried to reach him. MSEDCL spokesperson Bharat Pawar confirmed the FIR registration but provided no additional details about the ongoing case.
The Economic Offences Wing continues its investigation into this Rs 99.5 crore solar project scam. Their work focuses on uncovering the full extent of this alleged conspiracy between private company directors and a public sector official.
