4 civic body employees among 10 booked for forgery

Thane: Ten persons, including four employees of Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation in neighbouring Palghar district, have been booked for alleged irregularities resulting in losses to the civic body, the ACB has said.

An open inquiry was conducted in connection with a corporator’s complaint of irregularities registered with Kapurbawdi police in Thane district, following which an FIR was registered yesterday in the case by Nalla Sopara police under Vasai divison of Palghar, the ACB said.

The accused allegedly connived and got fake commencement certificates made for construction of apartments which they submitted to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (MSEDCL), taxation department of the civic body and registrar of cooperative societies, thereby cheating the various agencies, it said.

The ten persons, also including four partners of a developers’ firm and two architects, have been booked under relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, IPC sections 465 (forgery), 467, 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 479, 109, 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and also sections 7 and 13 of Maharashtra Ownership Flat Act-1963, the ACB said in the release.