Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing files a massive supplementary chargesheet in the alleged ₹65.5-crore Mithi River desilting scam before the Esplanade Court | File Photo
Mumbai, March 4: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the city police on Wednesday filed a second supplementary chargesheet running over 7,000 pages before the Esplanade Court in connection with the alleged ₹65.5-crore Mithi River desilting scam.
The chargesheet names two arrested accused, Mahesh Medaram Purohit and Sunil Shyamnaryan Upadhyay, and cites 39 witnesses.
Allegations of bogus MoUs and forged documents
According to investigators, the duo is accused of preparing bogus Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the names of farmers for dumping grounds and submitting them as genuine documents to secure payments.
Upadhyay, director of SNB Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, and Purohit, partner of MB Brothers, were arrested by the EOW in December last year.
The FIR, registered under IPC Sections 406, 409, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 474, and 120-B, alleges that between 2013 and 2023, officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Storm Water Drainage Department conspired with contractors and middlemen to submit forged MoUs for dumping sites in the names of farmers.
These fake documents were allegedly used to approve desilting payment bills, supported by fabricated weighbridge receipts and falsified log sheets.
Tender conditions allegedly manipulated
Investigators further alleged that between 2021 and 2024, certain BMC officials inserted special tender conditions mandating the use of ‘silt pushers’ and ‘truckster’ machines to favour select contractors.
The per-metric-ton desilting rate was allegedly inflated, resulting in crores of rupees in losses to the civic body.
Earlier arrests in the case
Initially, the EOW had arrested agents Ketan Kadam and Jay Joshi, along with desilting contractor Shersingh Mohansingh Rathore.
The latest probe revealed that Upadhyay and Purohit allegedly forged signatures of landowners (farmers), created fake MoUs for disposal sites, and submitted them to the BMC to claim substantial payments without executing the actual desilting work.
Middlemen accused of taking commission
Two of the 13 accused named in the FIR registered on May 6—Ketan Kadam (50) and Jay Joshi (49)—were arrested the same day. A chargesheet against them was filed in August last year.
Kadam is associated with Ketan Vodar India LLP, while Joshi is a director at Virgo Specialties Pvt Ltd. The duo is accused of collectively accepting ₹9 crore as commission for acting as middlemen to secure the Mithi River cleaning contract for a contractor, allegedly in connivance with BMC officials.
Previous supplementary chargesheet filed
In November last year, the EOW also filed a nearly 1,300-page supplementary chargesheet against Rathore (49), proprietor of M/s Maindeep Enterprises, before the Esplanade Court. Rathore, the third accused in the case, was arrested in August.
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Investigation continues
The investigation into the alleged financial irregularities in the desilting of the Mithi River is ongoing.
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