Former deputy mayor booked for cheating, forgery

NAVI MUMBAI : The Nerul police are on the lookout for former deputymayorAshokGawadein a cheating and forgery case in which he is accused of being involved in an illegal transfer of two flats.

According to the police, the complaint was registered by KaustubhKulkarni,wholivesin the United States of America. Kulkarni claimed that in 2006, a woman posing as his mother obtained share certificates of their two flats in Shree Ganesh society in Nerul. Gawade is the chairperson of the society.

The alleged forgery came to light in April when Kulkarni’s fatherpassedawayandhelearnt that someone named Santosh Taware is staying in the flat claiming to be the apartments’ owner.

“We have lodged an FIR against Taware and Gawade based on the complaint. We had sentsummonsto Gawadebuthe managed to abscond from his Nerul apartment. We are on the lookout for him,” said Rajendra Chavan, senior inspector at Nerul police station.

Officials said Kulkarni claimed the fraud was committed with the knowledge of the society office-bearers including Gawade. The police are probing the identity of the woman, who posed as Kulkarni’s mother to obtain the share certificates of the flat.

Gawade unsuccessfully contested on an NCP ticket from Belapur in 2019 Assembly elections and lost to BJP’s Manda Mhatre. He was elected deputy mayor of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation in 2012.

Gawade has been booked in two cheating cases registered at Nerul police station in 2016.

THANE: Thane Municipal Corporation inaugurated tuberculosis detector machines at CR Wadia Hospital in Thane on Tuesday.

It has bought two machines to conduct TB test free of cost. The other machine will be installed at Kalwa hospital.

The advanced CB-NAAT machine will test more samples compared to the old machine. “Each machine costs ₹35 lakh and can test eight samples (consists of 8 slots) at a time. The reports can be released within two hours. The old TB detection machines can test only four samples,” said a medical officer from health department, TMC.

Everymonth,around1,500TB tests are conducted in Thane’s municipal hospitals.

TB test costs ₹2,500 to ₹3,000. The machine has been installed since Tuesday, can conduct over 35 tests daily.

“We have appealed to private hospitals to send TB patients to Wadia hospital. However, around 200 patients from private hospital are already taking the advantage of the free TB tests in Thane’s municipal-run hospitals,” said the officer.

According to the medical officer, the advanced TB detection machines will help diagnose the disease early.

“The new machines will help provide timely treatment to patients,” added the officer.