Pune: A major twist has emerged in the ongoing ownership battle over a 10-acre land parcel in Wagholi, as allegations of forgery and impersonation surface, implicating law enforcement officials.
Previously, four individuals — including a retired senior police inspector — had been booked for their alleged involvement in the case. Now, a new complaint by Assistant Police Inspector (API) Siddhanath Maruti Khandekar (38), currently posted at Kharadi police station, has further complicated the matter. Khandekar has filed a report at Chandan Nagar police station claiming that his signature was forged in 2023 to initiate a criminal case during a period when he was on official leave.
According to the complaint, the forged signature was used to push through an internal note related to a complaint submitted by Aparna Yashpal Verma (56), a resident of Dubai, regarding ownership of the land. Based on this manipulated approval, a fraud case was wrongfully registered with the backing of both the Assistant Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Zone 4.
Khandekar has stated that even though the Dubai-based Verma appeared to be the legitimate owner of four hectares of the land, accused individuals Anand Lalasahib Bhagat and Shailesh Sadashiv Thombre falsely presented a different person from Islampur, Sangli—also named Aparna Yashpal Verma—as the rightful owner. This led to a dubious transaction recorded at the Chandan Nagar sub-registrar’s office on March 21, 2023, resulting in the creation of a fraudulent sale deed.
At that time, former Senior Police Inspector Rajendra Landge had assigned Khandekar to handle the investigation. Meanwhile, two more claimants, both named ‘Aparna Yashpal Verma’—one from Rajasthan and one from Islampur—came forward with ownership claims. All original petitions and supporting documents were kept in Landge’s possession.
Later scrutiny revealed that two critical land transactions were missing from the official registrar records, prompting Landge to instruct Khandekar to prepare a report for DCP clearance. However, between May 12 and 15, 2023, while Khandekar was on a four-day leave, someone allegedly forged his signature on the document. Unaware of this forgery, Khandekar was informed upon his return on May 16 that the case had been approved and was asked to proceed with the registration.
Senior Officer Now Accused of Fraud
In a separate complaint, Inspector Swati Khedkar of the Crime Branch accused Landge of conspiring two years ago to acquire the Wagholi land through fraudulent means. She alleged that Landge fabricated a fake identity and passed off a woman as the legitimate landowner for personal gain.
Based on this complaint, Landge and four others — including a woman named Aparna Yashpal Verma, along with Thombre and Bhagat — have been booked for conspiracy and fraud.
Three Claimants, One Name
For nearly three years, the land’s ownership has been contested. Investigations have now identified that three different women had falsely claimed to be Aparna Yashpal Verma — one from Dubai/Mumbai, one from Rajasthan, and one from Sangli. The woman from Islampur was revealed to be Archana Patekar, while the Rajasthan claimant was identified as Sangeeta Sase from Ahmednagar.
Multiple cases are now tied to this dispute — including the original petition from the Dubai-based Verma, Bhagat’s 2023 fraud complaint, Khandekar’s forged signature report dated May 15, and Khedkar’s FIR filed on May 16.
Given the complex web of fraudulent identities, forged documents, and internal conspiracy, the case has now been handed over to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for detailed investigation.
