A startling case of deception has come to light involving a man who purportedly lived in a government residence for 38 years under the false identity of a missing person. Following a complaint from the General Administration Department, Marine Drive Police have filed a fraud case against one Ravikant Kambale. According to the complaint lodged by Police Inspector Kailas Shamrao Munge of the General Administration Department, Shankar Sayaji Kambale, who was employed as a peon at Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran in Andheri on June 11, 1970, was allotted Room No. 182 in Shivneri Building, Dadar East.
The room was allocated in the name of S.S. Kambale. In 2007, Kambale's wife, Parvatibai, reported that her husband was living alone in the government residence. It was then discovered that since May 22, 1986, Kambale was missing, and a person named Shravan Ravji Kambale had taken up residence in the room. An inquiry revealed that Ravikant, who lived with his family, was actually occupying the property. In 2008, an order was issued for Ravikant to vacate the government quarters.
Ravikant challenged this order in the High Court, which, in 2009, upheld the directive for him to vacate the premises. It is alleged that Ravikant exploited Kambale's disappearance from 1986 to June 10, 2024, by posing as S.S. Kambale and unlawfully occupying the residence. Additionally, Ravikant is accused of creating a ration card in the name of Chandra Kanta Shravan Kambale and a voter ID card in the name of Shashikant Shravan Kambale to deceive authorities. Furthermore, it has been revealed that Ravikant has defaulted on rent payments totaling ₹25,54,000 since 2011. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has issued a notice and imposed a fine for unauthorized occupation. Senior Police Inspector Nilesh Bagul of Marine Drive Police Station stated that an investigation is underway to determine the exact identity of the person living in the residence. Parvatibai has petitioned the High Court for possession of the room, and on July 10, the court ordered the registration of a fraud case against Ravikant.