Niranjan Suresh Kulkarni (40), a resident of Nashik Road’s Gandharvanagari, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding Dr. Narasimha Reddy Damodar Rehi Apuri, a 56-year-old Chennai-based scientist of ₹5 crore. Kulkarni falsely promised to secure a Governor’s post for Dr. Reddy through his supposed high-level political connections.
The Central Crime Branch took Kulkarni into custody following an investigation directed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Prashant Bachhao and Assistant Commissioner of Police Sandeep Mitke. The Nashik court has remanded him to police custody for ten days.
The fraud began in February 2024 when Kulkarni met Dr. Reddy at an event in Nashik through a mutual friend. Kulkarni claimed to have strong ties with influential political leaders and demanded ₹15 crore as a “service charge” for securing the prestigious position. To convince Dr. Reddy, Kulkarni presented forged documents bearing government seals and made elaborate claims of owning 100 acres of land under government projects.
Over two months, Dr. Reddy and his relatives paid ₹60 lakh in cash and transferred ₹4.49 crore to Kulkarni’s bank account. However, when Kulkarni began issuing death threats, Dr. Reddy filed a complaint at Mumbai Naka Police Station.
Acting swiftly, the Central Crime Branch used technical surveillance to locate and arrest Kulkarni from his Gandharvanagari residence. Police Inspector Dr. Anchal Mudgal led the operation. Evidence regarding his fraudulent activities was scarce with regards to Kulkarni since there was no significant material recovered from his house through search.
Kulkarni resided in a luxurious apartment simply because his antecedents were not traceable. His fraudulent activities spanned months where he targeted the scientist Dr Reddy who he met through a mutual friend. Police have advised the public to be aware of all these scams and not fall prey to them, as investigations continue to determine the full extent of fraud done by Kulkarni.
