Special Correspondent
Pune : In a fresh and explosive revelation, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana chief and former MP Raju Shetty has alleged a major scam worth Rs 5 crore involving Jalinder Supekar, the Special Inspector General (IG) of Police whose name has already surfaced in the Vaishnavi Hagwane suicide case, and Amitabh Gupta, former Director General of Police.
Taking to social media, Shetty claimed that premium cashew sweets (kaju katli) were shown as purchased for Rs 1,200 per kg in the name of Diwali treats for inmates, but the sweets never actually reached the prisoners. Instead, cheaper locally sourced sweets were reportedly supplied, creating a price gap of 40% to 60%, pointing to large-scale corruption under the guise of festive welfare
Shetty further alleged that a direct purchase of Diwali food items was made without any formal tender process, violating procurement norms. He stated, “This is a clear violation of rules and a blatant case of misappropriation of government funds in the name of inmates.”
He accused the officials of using reputed brand names like Haldiram’s, Chitale Bandhu, and Kaka Halwai to show inflated prices in official records, while low-cost local alternatives were distributed, if at all. The total scale of this alleged scam was pegged at approximately ₹5 crore during the last festive season.
Shetty claimed he has posted rate cards and product samples to substantiate his allegations. He said these expose the gross irregularities and unaccounted purchases made within the prison department. The comparison between the shown purchase prices and actual market prices makes it clear that fraud was committed under administrative cover, Shetty alleged.“They claimed to have fed inmates sweets costing ₹1,200/kg. But those inside say they never even saw such sweets. The officers essentially pocketed the difference under the cover of the festival,” Shetty wrote in his social media post.
