Kolhapur NGO Allegedly Duped of Rs 30 Lakh in Fake CSR Funding Scam, Mumbai Woman Among Four Booked

A serious case of cheating has come to light in which a social organisation based in Kolhapur was allegedly duped of ₹30 lakh on the pretext of arranging Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. Based on a complaint, Airport Police have registered a case against four accused, including a Mumbai-based woman coordinator, for allegedly executing a pre-planned conspiracy to cheat the trust.

The accused have been identified as Anita Kulkarni, Sunil Patel, Hitesh Kumar Mishra and Nilesh Khandelwal.

According to Airport Police, the complainant, Ami Abid Appaso Manturkar (51), a resident of Kolhapur, works as a manager with Yuva Vikas Kalyankari Sanstha, an NGO engaged in de-addiction work among youth. During efforts to raise CSR funds in 2024, Manturkar came in contact with Mumbai-based company coordinator Anita Kulkarni.

In April 2024, Kulkarni visited the NGO’s office in Kolhapur and gathered information about its activities. She allegedly introduced herself as being associated with a major consultancy firm and assured the NGO of arranging CSR donations. In September 2024, a meeting was held at a reputed hotel in Mumbai, where Sunil Patel alias Arif Saiyed was introduced as a company authority. Claiming to be a retired IAS officer, he allegedly assured a CSR donation of ₹60 lakh in exchange for a ₹30 lakh security deposit.

Police said the accused further gained the trust of the NGO management by showing fake bank statements. Subsequently, on November 5, 2024, another meeting was held at an office in Malad, following which the NGO transferred ₹30 lakh to the account provided by the accused.

However, despite the transfer, the promised donation amount was never credited to the NGO’s account. When questioned, the accused allegedly cited technical glitches and banking errors to delay the process. Later, they allegedly disappeared from the office premises and their mobile phones were found switched off.

As suspicion grew, the NGO lodged a complaint with the Cyber Police on the evening of November 5, 2024. Subsequently, on December 29, 2025, an FIR was registered at Airport Police Station. Police have initiated further investigation into the case.