Mumbai: IPS Officer's Husband Held in Rs 24.78 Crore Government Housing Scam

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police on Tuesday arrested Purushottam Chavan, husband of an IPS officer, in connection with a Rs 24.78 crore fraud case. Chavan is accused of cheating a complainant by promising government quota flats at discounted rates. He was produced before the court after his arrest and has been remanded to police custody till May 26.

According to EOW investigations, Chavan allegedly used forged documents and 20 fake signatures to siphon off Rs 24.78 crore into his bank account. The complainant, Kedar Damodar Degwekar, was promised flats under the government quota between 2014 and 2024. Believing in the promise, he transferred the amount in phases to Chavan's account.

Investigations revealed that Chavan created fake documents related to a flat purchase, and falsely claimed registration at the Parel Secondary Registrar’s Office and Mundrak Registration Office. By showcasing these forged documents as authentic, he misled the complainant and embezzled the money.

The probe further found that Chavan took Degwekar to the sub-registrar’s office and asked him to complete formalities such as signing documents, clicking photographs, and submitting biometrics—giving the impression of a genuine property registration process. The EOW is also probing whether officials from the registrar’s office were complicit in the scam. The role of fake officials who posed as government staff is also under investigation, and more victims of similar frauds are coming to light.

Notably, Chavan was earlier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2024 for a separate Rs 263 crore scam related to Income Tax TDS refunds. Two months ago, Surat EOW also arrested him in another fraud case. With the latest arrest, Mumbai EOW becomes the third agency to act against Chavan. The current FIR was originally registered at Colaba Police Station on January 30, 2025, against 11 individuals, and was later transferred to the EOW for further investigation.