RTI query forces Nalasopara cops to probe 2016 case

Azam Aslam Butt, a murder convict, had forged witness papers and got bail in 2006; Nalasopara police filed an FIR in 2016, but didn’t investigate the matter until now

Nalasopara police have resumed investigation into a forgery in 2006 by a dreaded murder convict and a few officers. In 2014, Azam Aslam Butt was sentenced to life for murdering Kashinath Gharat. However, he was released from Nagpur jail in May last year over Covid-19 precautions. Once out, he threatened Gharat’s family, prompting them to file a complaint and later file an RTI to find the number of FIRs registered against Butt. It was the RTI response that forced the Nalasopara police to re-start the probe.

Butt had threatened Gharat’s family in February this year. He told Vishwanath that he will kill him and throw his body into Chembur nullah, following which his brother Vishwanath filed a complaint at Oshiwara police station and sought police protection. The family had police protection earlier but it was removed during the pandemic.

The family then filed an RTI query to know how many FIRs are registered against Butt, and learnt about the one filed for forgery at Nalasopara police station. They then met the deputy commissioner of police of Nalasopara, and this meeting prompted the officers to start investigation.

What’s the forgery case?

In 2006, a year after murdering Gharat, Butt had approached court for bail, and had forged the witness documents which were signed by certain Nalasopara police personnel. Till 2014, he used these forged documents to get bail repeatedly.

Kashinath, the victim

However, in 2014 the high court found the witness to be suspicious and ordered the Oshiwara police to verify the details. Oshiwara police, which had registered the Gharat’s murder case, instructed Nalasopara police to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the documents, as the witness was a resident Nalasopara.

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Cops’ signatures forged

During the inquiry, Nalasopara cops found that some of their officers — Assistant Police Inspector  (API) Sudhir Wagh and constable Suhdir Patil — forged the documents of the witness and helped Butt get bail. Wagh and Patil, however, claimed that their signatures on the witness documents were forged. In 2016, the HC ordered a case in the matter.

Nalasopara police had also called the witness, Satyendra Kumar Mistry, and found that his identity cards were forged by an unknown police officer for the witness documents. However, no investigation was done into the matter until now. Police are now looking for Butt and trying to identify the cops involved.

“Shockingly, the unknown officer of the Nalasopara police verified the documents he forged the documents of the witness and accepted a fake Witness and submitted all his documents to the court also. The case paper was accepted by the API Sudhir Wagh of Nalasopara police station on 11 July 2006 and later for verification the documents was submitted by the constable Suhdir Pundlik Patil at Nalasopara police station (who is currently at Navghar police station),” reads the forgery FIR.

Senior Inspector Vilas Supe of Nalasopara police station said, “We have registered a case Butt, unknown police officer and constable of Nalasopara police station and others for forging documents of the witness and submitting fake report in the court. We are in search of Butt. Investigation is underway.”

Vishwanath Gharat (right) with mother Parvati Gharat (holding a photo of Kashinath) and sister Kalpana

Currently, Butt is living at Ashiyana society at Juhu, and created a nuisance there as well, a resident said on condition  of anonymity. Nagpur Jail Superintendent Anup Kumar Kumre told mid-day, “Due to Covid-19, we released many accused. Butt was also released on parole for 45 days and it was extended later. Once we get the order from the government to take back all the accused, we will do so. I know about Butt’s history and that he had jumped parole many times in the past.”

Kin seek police protection

Gharat’s brother Vishwanathsaid, “I wrote a letter to the Oshiwara police station in March that my family had been threatened by Butt in February. Due to the pandemic, our police protection was also removed from 18 March, 2020. Butt is roaming freely and still threatening us. We demanded police protection from the Oshiwara police station, but still haven’t received any help. I also requested Oshiwara police to send the accused to jail but nothing yet.” Senior Inspector Sanjay Bendale of Oshiwara police station said, “We received the complaint from the deceased’s family and that they need police protection from Butt. We have sent the letter for the process. Once we get approval, we will give them police protection.”

Gharat was 39-year-old when Butt along with an accomplice brutally murdered him and threw his dead body into a nullah.

May
Month, in 2020, Butt was given parole due to Covid-19

2006
Year Azam Aslam Butt forged the documents for bail

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