Handicapped Mumbai widow denied PCO booth

Rajeshwari Rajkumar Saroj

The BMC's K-West licensing department approached the Santacruz police to register an FIR against the person who submitted fraudulent documents and transferred the handicapped PCO booth outside SNDT College in Santacruz West.

The PCO booth owner, Rajkumar Saroj, passed away in 2015 due to health issues, and his wife, Rajeshwari Rajkumar Saroj, is currently running the shop. Rajeshwari Saroj alleged that BMC officers were involved in this scam, as they did not verify the documents and transferred the handicapped PCO booth licence to someone else. Currently, BMC is investigating the inspectors who issued the licence and is in the process of cancelling it.

Rajkumar Saroj received the handicapped PCO booth under Section 313A of the MMC Act 1988. This booth allows for the sale of goods and Xerox copying services. Using fraudulent documents, BMC transferred the handicapped PCO booth to a person named Manoj Parshuram Ayare. BMC approached the Santacruz police and requested that an FIR be registered against Ayare and others involved in the scam.

Speaking to mid-day, Rajeshwari Rajkumar Saroj said, "Both my husband and I are handicapped. In the year 2000, my husband received this handicapped PCO booth under a government scheme to generate income. By 2012, my husband's health had deteriorated, and he was bedridden until he passed away on April 26, 2015. We have kept the PCO booth closed and have not paid rent to the BMC since 2012."

Rajkumar Saroj received the handicapped PCO booth under Section 313A of the MMC Act 1988. Pics/Shadab Khan

According to the rules of the handicapped PCO booth, it cannot be transferred without BMC's permission, and the owner is not allowed to rent out the booth. In 2018, Rajeshwari Saroj reopened the booth, offering Xerox and copying services and hiring an employee to assist her. When the lockdown was imposed globally, Saroj closed the shop and reopened it in 2021. In 2022, she transferred the PCO booth from her late husband's name to her own.

On October 17, 2022, Saroj applied to the BMC K-West licencing department to transfer the shop's name to hers. In December 2022, the licensing department requested the necessary documents, which Saroj submitted, including her husband's handicapped PCO booth licence, Aadhar card, PAN card, ration card, and her husband's death certificate. Due to her father-in-law's illness, Saroj had to travel to her village in Uttar Pradesh and returned in January 2023.

During this time, Saroj met an agent named Atik Raees Baig, who worked on licencing-related matters for a commission. She paid Baig Rs 92,000 rupees to transfer the PCO booth's name. Instead of transferring the booth to her name, Baig transferred it to Manoj Parshuram Ayare. In March, Ayare, accompanied by BMC officers, threatened Saroj to vacate the shop, claiming ownership. When Saroj showed her licence, the officers discovered irregularities and left. Upon investigation, it was found that BMC officers transferred her husband's handicapped PCO booth licence to Ayare on October 17, 2023. Shocked, Saroj contacted Baig, who confirmed the transfer to someone else's name.

Saroj realised that Baig had submitted fraudulent documents to BMC's K-West ward licensing department, with the help of licensing officers, to transfer the PCO booth to another person. On March 20, Rajeshwari Saroj filed a complaint with the police to register an FIR against those involved in the scam.

Subsequently, BMC initiated an internal inquiry and discovered that fraudulent documents were used to transfer the PCO booth to another person. When asked by mid-day, BMC K-West licensing department Senior Inspector Sunil Dalvi said, "We found that Rajeshwari Saroj's PCO booth was transferred using fraudulent documents. The new licence was issued by me after my team verified the documents. An internal inquiry was conducted against the entire team that issued the licence, and the licence is being cancelled. A new licence will be issued in Rajeshwari Saroj's name."

mid-day inquired if any information had been provided to the police to investigate the matter.

Inspector Dalvi confirmed, "I have informed the police to register an FIR in this matter and take action against those involved in the scam."