Builders bribed officials at all levels: Police chief 5 Lakh Found In Deputy Civic Chief’s Home

Thane: The investigations into the collapse of a sevenstorey building in Mumbra has exposed a nefarious nexus of builders, municipal officials and the police in the area, where crooked developers bribe officials and cops into silence as they erect substandard and unauthorized constructions. 

    Thane police chief K P Raghuvanshi said on Sunday that the builders of the structure that crumbled on Thursday, killing 74 people and injuring 62, had paid off officials, "who abused their power for personal gain". "The amount runs into several lakh of rupees," he said. 
    In raids on the home of the builders on Sunday, said Raghuvanshi, the police recovered the time schedule of the cash payments made to the authorities at all levels besides land documents and sale agreements of the illegal Shilphata flats. 
GRAFT BUILT UP TO BIG TRAGEDY 
    Police make three more arrests on Sunday, taking the total to nine 
    In search of the home of builders Salim Shaikh and Jamil Qureshi, police recover the time schedule of the cash payments made to the colluding authorities besides land documents and sale agreements of the illegal Mumbra flats 
    Rs 5 lakh cash and "property documents" recovered from suspended TMC deputy commissioner Deepak Chavan's residence Bribes paid to officials on basis of illegal slabs 
    Separately, during a search of the residence of suspended deputy commissioner Deepak Chavan of Thane Municipal Corporation, the police found Rs 5 lakh cash and "property documents". 
    Chavan was arrested on Saturday for alleged "involvement" with the ill-fated building's developers. Apart from him were arrested two of the builders (Siddiqui and Shaikh), assistant municipal commissioner Babasaheb Andhale, NCP corporator from Shilphata Hira Patil and havaldar Jehangir Sayyad of Daighar police station. 
    Taking the tally to nine on Sunday, the police arrested senior TMC clerk Kisan Madke, building materials supplier Afroz Ansari and agent Sayyad Patel. All the accused were produced in a Thane court and remanded in police custody till April 20. They have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among other things. If proved guilty, they can be punished with life imprisonment. 
    Meanwhile, the NCP suspended Patil from the party. 
    According to several sources, the developers paid bribes as per different measures. To the colluding civic officials and elected representatives, money was given for every concrete slab added to the illegal structure. To the former was allegedly given Rs 1.50-2 lakh and to the latter Rs 50,000. The conspiring policemen were, meanwhile, paid Rs 50,000 for each illegal tenement, said sources. 
    Besides the construction that crumpled last week, Siddiqui and Shaikh built two other seven-storey illegal buildings on a three-acre plot, L u ck y C o m p o u n d , at Shilphata. It is estimated that around 100 seven- to 10-storey illegal buildings are standing in Shilpata area, in spite of repeated complaints by citizen-activist Mangal Patil to the civic authorities. 
    "Preliminary inquiry reveals it is an organized network. The documents recovered from the builders' house gives details of the payments made to all the accused," said Raghuvanshi. Raids on the residences of other accused also threw up "incriminating documents," said sources. 
    "The arrest operation (on Saturday) was conducted swiftly. The NCP corporator (Patil) was participating in a news channel debate at Shilphata. As soon as the programme was over he was asked by crime branch officials to come to the headquarters for a meeting. Unaware of their intentions, Patil went to the office and was declared arrested," an official said. 
    Raghuvanshi said more arrests are likely to be made soon. The police are searching for five partners of the builders who were also involved in the racket. Also, they are looking into the role of MSEB officials who reportedly gave a 120-gauge electric cable to the illegal building. 
    "The MSEB's defence could be that as power comes under essential commodites it cannot refuse connections. However, that's half the truth. The law says that a builder has to submit documents such as the building plan, commencement certificate, PAN card of the builder and his partners and a written application on the firms' letterhead giving details about the project. It is unlikely the norms were followed and yet the building got a power connection," said a local. 
    The police commissioner, when asked if the accused men could also be booked under the stringent MCOCA, said that though the accused were working as an organized cartel, MCOCA law is applicable on habitual offenders who have served jail term before.

    Preliminary inquiry reveals that it is an organized network. The documents recovered from the builders' house give details of the payments made to all the accused, who abused their official power for personal gain. 
K P Raghuvanshi | THANE POLICE COMMISSIONER

Deepak Chavan, TMC deputy civic chief (L) & NCP corporator from Shilphata Hira Patil (R)

TOUGH TALK: Thane police chief K P Raghuvanshi said officials abused their power for personal gain

Murder and robbery in a day leave quiet suburbs shaken ‘Background Check Drives Fizzled Out’

 Two sensational crimes in a day, in the heart of well-to-do residential neighbourhoods at Borivli and Juhu have left Mumbaikars jittery. Residents groups say that the daylight crimes reveal that a much-publicized campaign by police to collect information on domestic helps and security guards in every housing society in the western suburbs has gradually fizzled out. 

    "The campaign was started by the cops with a lot of enthusiasm over a year ago. We tried to help them but residents were increasingly against sharing information with the police. They feared the information would be misused," said Hansel D'Souza, for mer chairperson of the Juhu citizens' welf a re g ro u p. D'Souza added the feeling was fuelled further after security guards and house helps complained of shoddy treatment by cops and of being made to run around for basic items like identity cards. 
    Another police scheme which residents aren't so keen about anymore is having constables visit senior citizens staying alone. "The trust factor is lacking. Some senior citizens complained that they did not want such visits as the fact that they were vulnerable was now officially on police record," said D'Souza. "It's necessary for the police to revamp their image. They Benkar also need higher budgetary allocation as they still use antique equipment and vehicles." 
Security experts say electronic surveillance goes a long way in securing societies and is especially handy for investigators. "More and more housing societies are considering having closed-circuit cameras due to a spurt in crime," said Kirti Adarkar of the Old Lokhandwala Residents' Association, Andheri West. The Lokhandwala market in Andheri is already dotted with surveillance cameras. Another resident suggested a system which would link CCTVs in housing societies to local police stations and an alarm to warn the cops in the event of any crime. "The one cop-one society scheme has worked for our neighbourhood. Here, a constable is assigned to each society and he visits it regularly to check the goings-on," said Adarkar. 
STAY ALERT AND AWARE 
DOMESTIC HELPS 
Citizens should verify the antecedents of their house helps before employing them 
At any instance, house helps should not be appointed based on mere references made by their acquaintances or relatives 
Collect photographs of house helps and details of previous employers, submit them at the police station along with their contact numbers 
Avoid displaying jewellery or discussing money in the presence of house helps. Keep your valuables in the bank while going out of town 
Treat domestic helps with dignity 
Never let your domestic helps know where cash, jewellery, valuables and keys of your house or your car are kept 
If you can afford it, set up a camera to take photos of the domestic helps while they are with your kids 
Avoid entertaining relatives and friends of the help 
Keep your domestic help under close observation for any suspicious activities
SECURITY GUARDS 
    As security guards are responsible for protecting property and people, it is very important that their background is screened carefully 
    Although firms providing guards need to clear licensing requirements, they do not always take necessary precautions when hiring personnel. Take it upon yourself (as a housing society) to interview candidates thoroughly because ultimately you will be the one relying on protection 
    Install CCTVs so that every activity in the building, including guards' movements, are recorded 
    Maintain records on the guard's native and current address, photographs, phone numbers and local relatives' details Helplines | Police main control room: 100/22621855/22625020