Pune: A judicial magistrate court has ordered the Dattawadi police station under the Pune city police to investigate the role of the joint director of town planning department, Hanumant Nazirkar, his wife and another person in a cheating and forgery case.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) N D Meshram passed the order under section 156/3 of CrPC for offences under sections 120B, 403, 406, 420,465,468,469 of the Indian Penal Code.
“The alleged offence is cognisable and non-bailable. Therefore, investigation by police, as prayed by the complainant is necessary,” reads the court order dated June 23.
Nitin Sahebrao Patil of Om Sai Automobiles had moved the court after the police refused to register the case even after giving all necessary evidence
Patil had filed the complaint in the court against Nazirkar, who is currently posted in Amravati, his wife Sangeeta (42) and Pravin Sorte (30) of Navnath Automobiles.
“The cause of action first arose in May 2016 when the accused persons had fraudulently registered over 180 two-wheelers from RTO using sale bill and trade certificate of my company without my consent,” Patil said.
Patil’s counsel Supreme Court lawyer Aashutosh Srivastava, while addressing a press conference, said, “These vehicles have been illegally registered. The authorities may come looking for Patil as the requisite taxes for these vehicles have not been paid. Many RTO officials may be involved in this conspiracy.”
The complainant earlier worked as an assistant sales manager with Mahindra and Mahindra in Pune region. Later, he decided to start his own business as he had gained sufficient knowledge and experience of selling tractors. Through a common friend, Patil came in contact with Nazirkar who was then posted as the joint director of Town Planning Department in Pune. Patil was looking for an investor when a common friend introduced him to Nazirkar.
According to the petition filed in court, Nazirkar and Patil started a partnership firm for selling Mahindra tractors. Being a government employee, Nazirkar could not become a partner of the private firm. Therefore, his wife Sangeeta became the partner on his
behalf.
“For obtaining the dealership from Mahindra and Mahindra, the condition precedent was that the dealer should furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 75 lakh and working capital of Rs 1.08 crore. Hence, it was decided that complainant would procure bank guarantee and Nazirkar would provide the working capital.
Beside this, there was an understanding that complainant would be able to withdraw a monthly salary of Rs 70,000 and will be in-charge of the said partnership business. Accordingly, a deed of partnership was signed in February 2012 and the firm ‘Om Sai Automobiles’ became an authorised dealer for selling tractors at Chaufula (Daund). The business started doing well and they sold as much as 172 tractors in 2012-13.
They got additional dealership at Rajgurunagar in 2013. Later, they got dealership in Baramati in 2014 as well,” the complaint reads.
In 2012, after some work-related differences between the partners, the business was divided between the two. Complainant Patil decided to continue with Om Sai Automobiles and it was decided that he would take care of Mahindra tractor dealership at Chaufula and Khed (Rajgurunagar) besides Leyland Deere Backhoe Loader dealership at Pune. And Nazirkar would start a new firm and look after the Mahindra tractor dealership at Baramati, Yamaha motor cycle dealership at Baramati, Vespa Scooter dealership at Pune and Vespa Scooter sub-dealership at Baramati.
“They started a new firm called ‘Navnath Automobiles’ on Sinhagad Road. Sangeeta Nazirkar and Sorte are the partners in this firm. They had maliciously used the sales letter and trade certificate of M/s Om Sai Automobiles, the firm then owned by me without my consent for registration of Vespa vehicles between May 2016 to September 2016 and had sold more than 100 vehicles. All those vehicles were billed in the name of M/s Navanath Automobiles by Vespa Company.
They had also submitted fake sales bills of M/s Om Sai Automobiles to RTO for the purpose of registration of approximately more than 100 Vespa two-wheeler vehicles. When I came to know about it, I lodged a complaint with the RTO, Pune, and Dattawadi police station on December 14 last year. But the police did not register the FIR,” Patil said. Nazirkar did not respond to text messages and calls from Sakal Times.
