MHADA case: Police custody of two accused extended by 2 days

Nashik: The police custody of the two accused — deputy superintendent of land records department Bipin Kajale and assistant director of the town planning department Kalpesh Patil — in the MHADA scame has been extended by two more days.According to the police, Kajale was the complainant in the case registered against several builders and developers in Nashik for allegedly avoiding the mandatory 20% land reservation for lower-income housing on plots exceeding 4,000 square metres by using forged maps and govt seals. He and Patil were arrested on May 7 after police learnt about their role in the scam. Both were remanded in police custody till Monday. "We seized fake stamps and stamp papers from the land records office where Kajale works. It was revealed that Kajale was involved in the scam in collusion with other officials. We sought police custody to find out who all are involved in the case and what was their modus operandi. Hence, we sought their custody and it was granted," the police said.ACP Sandeep Mitke-led SIT formed by Nashik police, that also includes inspector Aanchal Mudgal, is investigating the case that was registered with Sarkarwada Police Station on March 10.So far, there have been five arrests in the case, including two builders and three officials, including naib tahsildar Nitin Patil. Patil intervened in 31 out of 49 cases and gave approval through fake maps. "The statements given by two talathis revealed his name. He is now in judicial custody," the police officer said, adding that out of the two builders arrested, one has been granted bail while the other is still in judicial remand.