The Bhadrakali police in Nashik have registered a case against Abhishek Sanjay Zare, the director of a Thane-based AI firm, for allegedly forging official documents and the digital signature of the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela commissioner. The fraudulent activities were aimed at obtaining contracts worth nearly Rs 4 crore, officials said.
Details of the Case
Zare, who is the director of Innovative Intelligence AI Automation Solutions Agency, has already been arrested by the Nashik Road police in a related case involving forged work orders worth Rs 35 crore. The latest case was filed by Vishal Ashok Patil, the assistant research officer at the Kumbh Mela Authority, with the Bhadrakali police station.
According to Assistant Inspector Vasant Pawar of the Bhadrakali police station, Zare is accused of forging letterheads, digital signatures of the commissioner, and creating two work orders worth nearly Rs 4 crore. During the investigation of the suspect in the Nashik Road case, verification of his mobile device revealed forged documents, including a three-page order worth Rs 2.2 crore for the deployment of 300 traffic wardens and a nine-page order worth Rs 1.7 crore involving the handover and renovation of the Trimbakeshwar sub-district hospital. These documents were created using counterfeit letterheads, e-office numbers, and official seals to mimic legitimate administrative approvals for high-value projects by the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority (NTKMA) commissioner.
Legal Provisions Invoked
The police have invoked several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): Section 318(1) (cheating), Section 336(2) (forgery of electronic records), Section 336(3) (forgery of valuable securities), and Section 338 (use of forged documents as genuine).
Broader Fraud Uncovered
The police said the latest case is linked to a broader fraud uncovered earlier, where Zare allegedly attempted to cheat the authority using fake CCTV and AI surveillance work orders worth Rs 35 crore. This was flagged by Kumbh Mela Authority chairman Praveen Gedam. Officials noted that the modus operandi points to a systematic attempt to exploit large-scale infrastructure preparations for the 2027 Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
Investigations are ongoing to identify any accomplices and trace the full extent of the alleged fraud. The authorities are also verifying other documents that may have been forged by the accused.
