How an IPS officer in Mumbai got embroiled in a legal storm

Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rashmi Karandikar, 51, is in the midst of a maelstrom of legal disputes, with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai police investigating two First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against her husband Purushottam Chavan, 53, in January and February, 2025, for his alleged role in defrauding six people of ₹7.42 crore on the promise of securing for them government plots at cheap rates and giving them the contract to supply T-shirts and hoodies to Nashik Police Academy between 2015 and 2024.

- Vinay Dalvi and Abhishek Sharan

MUMBAI:

In another instance, he had also promised 19 individuals cheap flats through various government schemes between 2019 to 2014; he had collected funds to the tune of ₹24.78 crore from them.

The cases unravelled in May 20, 2024, when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched Chavan's residence in Colaba for alleged fraudulent withdrawal of TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) refunds worth ₹263.95 crore from the Income Tax (I-T) department.

"When ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and carried out searches at their Colaba residence, the agency had found several documents and agreements, which were forwarded by them to the EOW, which in turn registered the two FIRs based on the documents," said a police officer investigating the case.