Criminal Nexus Exposed in Bhandari Mandal Property Scam
• Fraudsters Chamankar and Mithbaokar Under Scrutiny
• Sprouts SIT Uncovers Shocking Urban Land Fraud in Mumbai
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
Fraudsters Krishna Chamankar and Gurunath Mithbaokar are accused of illegally grabbing Bhandari Mandal Dadar’s multi-crore property using a fake committee, forged documents, and banking fraud. Linked to the ₹850 crore Maharashtra Sadan scam, Chamankar’s criminal past deepens the case. Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues probing this organized corruption.
Illegal Committee, Property Fraud and Banking Scams Rock Bhandari Mandal Dadar
In a massive land scam unfolding at Bhandari Mandal Dadar, two tainted individuals—fraudster Krishna Shantaram Chamankar (former trustee) and Gurunath Kashiram Mithbaokar (former president)—have been accused of orchestrating a multi-crore property grab involving fake committees, forged records, and illegal banking transactions. The scandal, according to documents obtained by the Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT), centers around the attempted misappropriation of prime real estate worth hundreds of crores belonging to the Bhandari community.
At the heart of the scheme is a conspiracy to sell off the Mandal’s assets to private developers under the pretext of redevelopment. Mithbaokar, insiders claim, conceptualized the fraudulent idea of earning over ₹100 crore by handing over the property to a builder. To execute this, Chamankar and Mithbaokar created a bogus management committee, installing Aniket Vijay Revadkar as secretary, despite having no legal authority.
Fake Members, Cash Collection & Banking Fraud Expose Deeper Conspiracy
The illegitimate committee also includes names like Nandkumar Kamble, Mangesh Madgulkar, Ravindra Jadhav, Kshama Rajan Mungnekar, and Ulhas Prabhakar Mayekar—all of whom are accused of conducting unauthorized operations. These individuals allegedly collected lakhs in unpaid rent from tenants in cash, diverting the funds for personal and fraudulent property dealings.
Despite being removed by the Mandal earlier, Rajendra Naik, Nikhil Keer, and others continued to participate in weekly meetings with Chamankar and Mithbaokar over the past three months. These secret gatherings were reportedly focused on manipulating official documents, breaking into the Mandal’s office, and stealing key property records to be passed on to builders and architects.
In a shocking violation, the rogue group tampered with the Mandal’s official bank account at Apna Co-operative Bank using fake minutes and fabricated resolutions. Original committee members, including the elected chief secretary and assistant secretaries, were illegally removed and replaced through manipulated documentation.
Chamankar’s Criminal Legacy: From Bhandari Mandal to Maharashtra Sadan Scam
This isn’t Chamankar’s first brush with large-scale financial crime. Krishna Shantaram Chamankar is a prime accused in the ₹850 crore Maharashtra Sadan mega scam, where his role in forging official signatures, creating fake tenders, and laundering public funds was exposed by multiple enforcement agencies.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized properties and bank accounts belonging to Chamankar and his family. Charges filed under IPC Sections 406, 120B, 467, 468, 471, 388, 506, and 452 illustrate the extent of his criminal activities. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has also filed FIRs, linking Chamankar to the forgery of government documents and fake approvals.
Sprouts SIT has verified that Chamankar’s fraudulent pattern remains consistent: use of dummy committee members, forged documents, cash-based property dealings, and misuse of community assets for personal enrichment.
Public Trust Breached: Builders Exploit Bhandari Community’s Central Property
Bhandari Mandal Dadar, once established for the welfare of the Bhandari community, has now become a hotspot of corruption. Without any approval from the Charity Commissioner’s Office (which has not sanctioned a change report since 2013), Chamankar and Mithbaokar used fabricated annual general meeting documents to falsely claim administrative legitimacy.
The fraudulent clique operated from Hetkari Mahajan Wadi, where illegal occupants such as Avinash Kargutkar (alleged mastermind), Ulhas Mayekar, Shama Mungnekar, and Rajan Pratap Mungnekar collaborated in seizing the Mandal’s office, shutting down its hall, and obstructing access to genuine members.
In one instance, Nandkumar Kamble is accused of breaking locks, tampering with cupboards, and stealing sensitive legal documents, which were then handed over to private developers—potentially worth crores in land value.
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Systemic Failure Allows Repeat Offenders to Target Public Institutions
Chamankar and Mithbaokar had attempted a similar scam two years ago. Despite being exposed, no stringent action was taken, enabling them to regroup and resume their activities with impunity. Over the last decade, the Bhandari Mandal hall has been kept non-operational, causing loss of lakhs in community revenue, and stalling the socio-cultural development of the Bhandari society.
The current modus operandi involves showing tenants a “redevelopment carrot,” while the actual aim appears to be illegal sale and encashment of high-value urban land. The use of fake committee titles, manipulated resolutions, and rent collection in cash is part of a broader laundering mechanism to convert public trust property into private wealth.
Sprouts News SIT Calls for Legal Action and Transparent Audit
With mounting documentary evidence, the Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) urges the Charity Commissioner, ACB, and ED to fast-track investigations and initiate comprehensive audits of Bhandari Mandal’s finances, committee appointments, and property dealings.
The scale and repetition of fraud committed by Krishna Chamankar and Gurunath Mithbaokar reflect not just personal greed but a systemic failure in safeguarding community institutions. This is not merely a case of mismanagement—it is a deliberate, criminal conspiracy against public trust.
