Javed Jaffrey fraud case: Crime Branch arrests key accused in ₹16-crore scam, BMC officer still absconding | Mumbai News
2 min readMumbaiJul 4, 2026 02:21 PM IST
More than six weeks after the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Property Cell arrested Devendra Padwal from Malvan in Sindhudurg district for allegedly cheating Habiba Jaffrey, wife of actor Javed Jaffrey, of ₹16.24 crore, a key accused in the case — BMC Assistant Commissioner Mahesh Patil — remains absconding.
Police said a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against Patil two weeks ago to prevent him from leaving the country, and efforts are underway to trace him.
Earlier, the police had arrested Nishit Patel and Rupesh More, both of whom are currently in judicial custody. Investigators said More allegedly prepared forged documents used in the fraud. Padwal was residing in Khar in the same building as Patel, an official said.
According to investigators, Padwal allegedly created a fake power of attorney in the name of a prominent developer, falsely claiming authority to make decisions and execute legal documents on the developer’s behalf.
Padwal was produced before a court on Friday and remanded to police custody till Monday for further investigation.
An FIR in the case was registered at the Khar police station in May and was subsequently transferred to the Crime Branch’s Property Cell. Besides Patil, the FIR names Nishit Patel, Devendra Padwal, Rupesh More and others.
As per Habiba Jaffrey’s complaint, she met Patil during visits to the BMC office, where he allegedly introduced her to what he described as a lucrative investment opportunity in a redevelopment project in Bandra. Patil is accused of directing her to invest through Patel.
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Police said forged government registration documents were allegedly prepared and presented as genuine to induce investments from Habiba, her husband Javed Jaffrey, relatives including Naved Jaffrey, and others.
The accused allegedly collected nearly ₹16.24 crore through cheque payments, cash, foreign currency and luxury watches before duping the investors, police said.
After realising she had been cheated, Habiba approached the Khar police, following which an FIR was registered in May. The investigation was later handed over to the Crime Branch.
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