MUMBAI — The Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Tuesday arrested Purushottam Chavan, a man once known for his proximity to power corridors, in a ₹24.78 crore housing scam that spanned nearly a decade. The alleged mastermind behind a fake quota housing racket, Chavan promised subsidized flats under government schemes to at least 20 individuals across Mumbai, Thane, and Pune.
Chavan’s operation, authorities say, was well rehearsed. He offered high-level access, presented fabricated documents, and invoked the names of officials and bureaucrats to gain trust. His alleged scheme, running from March 2015 to April 2024, funneled in crores before victims realized they had been sold a lie.
He is now in police custody till May 26, facing charges of cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy under multiple IPC sections.
More Than One Scam: A Pattern of Deceit
This isn’t Chavan’s first brush with the law. He is already in judicial custody in a ₹263 crore income tax refund scam and was recently arrested by Gujarat Police in a separate fraud case. In a second FIR filed earlier this year, he allegedly duped a Surat-based businessman of ₹7.42 crore, promising plots under the government quota and procurement contracts for Maharashtra Police Academy.
Among his ploys, Chavan is said to have faked access to senior officers, used his social connections to convince clients of his credibility, and ran a web of deceit involving fake agreements, advance payments, and hollow assurances.
“He perfected the art of influence without authority,” an EOW official said. “What’s striking is not just the scale of the fraud, but how long it continued without being caught.”
A Marriage in the Shadows
Adding complexity to the case is Chavan’s now-estranged wife, senior IPS officer Rashmi Karandikar, a respected figure in the Maharashtra police force. Though not named as an accused, she has been questioned by investigators about a ₹3 crore transfer allegedly made from Chavan’s ICICI Bank account.
Sources close to the investigation clarify that Karandikar had filed for divorce months ago, citing financial harassment, concealment of business activities, and mental cruelty. She has denied knowledge of her husband’s financial dealings and has reportedly extended full cooperation to law enforcement.
“There is no evidence of her involvement at this stage,” a senior official told us, “and she has taken clear legal steps to distance herself.”
Purushottam Chavan’s arrest marks a striking example of how appearances and proximity to power can be used as weapons of deceit. Behind the polished surface was a man orchestrating scams that cost families their savings, trust, and peace of mind.
While Rashmi Karandikar continues to serve in uniform under intense public scrutiny, her husband’s arrest is a reminder of how the betrayal of public trust often begins behind closed doors—with charm, access, and calculated silence.
