Confusion among police stations leads to Nerul cheating accused walking free

Navi Mumbai: A banker accused of cheating three police personnel of ₹2.31 crore in a fraudulent land deal was arrested with the help of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers last week. However, due to confusion between two police stations – Nerul police station where the case was registered, and Sanpada police which caught him – led to the accused walking out without any action taken against him.
The accused banker, Ramakant Parida, who has been hiding for months, had befriended the police personnel in 2021 and got them to invest ₹2.31 crore to secure a prime plot in Khalapur. A case was registered with the Nerul police in April based on a complaint filed by constable Sundar Singh Thakur, and police have been on the lookout for Parida since.
Last week, MNS workers saw Parida in a Sanpada village building. Sanjay Patil, the office bearer of MNS, and his colleagues Sanket Vaskar, Nitin Bhavsar and Sandesh Surve contacted the police and informed them about the accused’s location. “We were aware of the cheating case. After seeing the accused, the information was given to the police for further action,” said Patil.
The patrolling police team took the accused to the Sanpada police station. However, according to MNS workers, the accused managed to escape as he was left unattended at the police station.
“Since the case was registered with the Nerul police, we tried to inform them, but the concerned Investigating officer was not reachable. In the absence of any intimation from Nerul about what to do with the accused and with no provision under the new laws to arrest cheating cases, it cannot be said that he escaped, he just left,” said an officer from Sanpada police station.
When asked Nerul police said they are still looking for the accused. “There seems to be some confusion as we are still on the lookout for the accused. I will check on the matter,” said Brahma Naikwadi, senior police inspector.
As the land deal never happened, the complainant Thakur and his colleagues continue to repay their loans every month.