Shivanand is accused of giving fake papers to tenant
PONDA
Ponda Councillor Shivanand Sawant was arrested by Ponda police on charges of preparing fake no-objection certificates using the letterhead and stamps of the Ponda Municipal Council (PMC).
Incidentally, Sawant was also arrested seven months ago on charges of preparing fake income certificates.
According to reports, a woman residing at Silva Nagar noticed that a tenant on the upper floor of her house had obtained electricity and water connections, even though she had not applied for any electricity and water connection.
The woman then inquired with the PWD office at Ponda and was startled to find that the tenant had attached fake documents to the application made for water and electricity.
The aggrieved woman then complained to the Ponda Municipal Council in the matter.
When the PMC investigated the matter, it confirmed that the documents submitted to obtain the electricity and water connections were fake.
In this regard, the Chief Officer of the Fonda Municipality, Suyash Khandeparkar, had filed a police complaint.
When the police questioned the tenant, she said that Sawant had given her the documents. The police arrested Sawant on Friday and produced him before a court, before he was granted bail.
On Saturday, the Ponda Congress addressed a news conference and sought the dismissal of Sawant as councillor of PMC.
Ponda Congress Block President William Aguiar also questioned the police for not seeking police custody of Sawant.
“He should have been in police custody for interrogation,” said Aguiar.
Earlier on January 9, Ponda police had arrested Sawant in connection with an income certificate obtained after forging the signature of Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) Yogiraj Gosavi and the stamp of the municipal council.
The police had earlier arrested Sadanand Prabhugaonkar of Silvanagar-Ponda in this connection.
PMC officials had discovered that Prabhugaonkar, who had applied for an income certificate, had attached a previous fake income certificate. The PMC Chief Officer Yogiraj Gosavi conducted an enquiry and found that the signature on the document was fake and later filed a police complaint in the matter.
During police investigation, Prabhugaonkar claimed that PMC Councillor Shivanand Sawant had handed over the income certificate to him.
