Pune: Police have filed a case of criminal conspiracy, creating false records and forgery, among other charges, against IPS officer Bhagyashree Navtake in relation to the probe into the alleged Rs 1,200-crore economic fraud by Jalgaon-based Bhaichand Hirachand Raisoni (BHR) cooperative credit society, which also had an office in the city. Several investors across the state said they were cheated by the society that had promised handsome returns. After the fraud came to light, state govt had put the society under a liquidator.
It is alleged that under the liquidator, there was misappropriation of Rs 160 crore. Navtake — now posted as commandant of State Reserve Police Force in Chandrapur — was then deputy commissioner of police (DCP), economic offence and cyber, with the Pune police, and headed an SIT to investigate the fraud. She is accused of registering three back-to-back cases within 24 hours on Nov 15, 2020, against some of the society's office-bearers with the Deccan, Alandi and Shikrapur police stations.
When contacted, Navtake told TOI, "I am bound by my service rules and cannot comment on the issue for now." Among other things, Navtake is accused of going beyond her jurisdiction to ensure registration of cases, pressuring police officials to register these cases, making selective arrests, submitting selective chargesheets, tampering with office notes and directions, and engaging a special public prosecutor having conflict of interest as he had in the past represen.