Pune Police Bust Fake Bail Surety Racket, Arrest 11 Including Two Lawyers
Pune, 3rd February 2025: The Pune Police have uncovered a racket involving fake bail sureties and arrested 11 individuals, including two lawyers. The operation, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Rajkumar Shinde of Zone 5, has exposed a network that provided fake documents and sureties to help criminals secure bail.
Key arrests include lawyers Adv. Aslam Gafoor Syed (45) and Adv. Suresh Jadhav (43), who were apprehended yesterday. Earlier, the police had arrested several individuals who posed as fake sureties in court, including Santosh Kumar Telang, Sanjay Padwal, Subhash Kodre, Dnyaneshwar Shinde, Sujit Sapkal, Bhupal Kangana, and Jitendra.
The modus operandi involved creating fake Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and 7/12 extracts. The gang would use forged signatures and stamps on ration cards and submit affidavits in court claiming the documents were genuine. They targeted relatives of criminals in judicial custody at Yerawada Central Jail who were struggling to arrange sureties for bail.
Following the initial discovery of one fake surety case, DCP Dr Rajkumar Shinde ordered a thorough investigation. This led to the arrest of Santosh Kumar Telang and four other fake sureties. The main accused, Farhan alias Bablu Sheikh, is currently absconding. Darshan Shah, who provided fake rubber stamps, was also arrested, and equipment for making fake stamps was seized.
The investigation revealed that the fake sureties were from Mumbai, Thane, and rural areas, lured by monetary incentives to appear in court. So far, 24 cases involving fake sureties have been uncovered. The police have seized 95 ration cards, 11 fake Aadhaar cards, mobile phones, and two-wheelers from the accused.
Senior Police Inspector Satyajit Adamane, Police Inspector (Crime) Govind Jadhav, and Sub-Inspector Dhanaji Tone led the operation under DCP Shinde’s guidance.
