The Sessions Court of Nagpur on Thursday extended the police custody of Tapas Nandlal Ghosh, who is accused of allegedly defrauding Mukta Bobde (94), the mother of Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde, of over Rs 2.50 crore, till December 21.
The 49-year-old Ghosh was produced before the Sessions Court by the Special Investigation Team of the City Police for custody extension.
On the basis of the complaint, police had registered a case under Sections 409, 420, 406, 467, 468, 470, 471 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code against Ghosh and his wife.
The police have not yet arrested Ghosh’s wife and other who are also accused in the case. A police official said that searches were conducted at Ghosh’s house after he was arrested on December 8.
Police had seized mobile phone and laptop of Ghosh so far and also checking his bank accounts. As his remand ended on Wednesday, the Special Investigation Team produced him in court. After hearing arguments of prosecution and defence lawyers, the court extended police custody till December 21.
The Bobde family owns the Seasons Lawn adjacent to their ancestral bungalow at Akashwani Square on Rabindranath Tagore Marg in Civil Lines. Mukta Bobde had appointed Ghosh, a resident of Friends Colony, as manager of the lawns in 2007. He was getting a monthly salary of Rs 9,000 and Rs 2,500 for every booking.
After lockdown was imposed, persons who had booked the lawns for different programmes, functions and wedding receptions, started demanding their money back.
Ghosh was allegedly reluctant to show the receipt book to the Bobde and reveal transactions made by him with customers. The Rs 2.50 crore fraud came to light only when the receipts and details of bank transactions from August 2017 to August 2020 were checked.
Also Read: Supreme Court adjourns plea seeking CBI probe into Chandrababu Naidu role in vote-for-note scam
Earlier, as Mukta Bobde was unwell due to old age, one Kiran Vishnupant Deopujari (72) lodged a complaint on her behalf against Ghosh and his wife who, too, used to take bookings in his absence.