Nagar Panchayat Chief Arrested For Rs 111 Crore Fraud Attempt

Palghar district police arrested Nilesh alias Pinka Ramesh Padwale, the president of Vikramgad Nagar Panchayat, on Friday for attempting to siphon off a staggering Rs 111 crore from a State Bank of India (SBI) branch using forged documents, the latest in a series of exposes targeting local body corruption in Maharashtra. The plot, which involved fabricating official resolutions and signatures to pose as legitimate withdrawals for panchayat development projects, was thwarted by alert bank managers who conducted routine in-person verification, uncovering discrepancies that led to Padwale's immediate detention.

The incident unfolded at the SBI branch in Vikramgad, a tribal-dominated tehsil in Palghar about 100 km north of Mumbai, when Padwale presented a stack of seemingly authentic documents claiming urgent funds for infrastructure works under the panchayat's purview. However, cross-checks revealed mismatched signatures on resolutions purportedly approved by the Nagar Panchayat body and irregularities in the account details, prompting the bank to alert the police. Padwale, who has held the president's post since 2022, was apprehended at the scene, with an accomplice booked in absentia for aiding the forgery.

Palghar Superintendent of Police Bhimsen Sontakke confirmed the arrests, stating that raids on Padwale's residence yielded digital records and draft documents hinting at a broader network potentially involving other officials. "This was a sophisticated attempt to exploit public funds meant for rural development, our probe will unearth any larger syndicate," Sontakke said.