Lookout Notice Issued Against BMC Official in Jaaved Jaaferi Family Cheating Case

The Mumbai Crime Branch has issued a lookout notice against Mahesh Patil, a suspended assistant municipal commissioner with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The notice was reportedly issued earlier this month due to concerns that Patil might attempt to leave the country while the investigation is ongoing.

Patil is implicated in an alleged cheating case totaling Rs 16.24 crores, which involves actor Jaaved Jaaferi's family. This development follows the earlier arrest of UK-based businessman Nishit Patel, who is also allegedly connected to the case.

The investigation focuses on alleged investments made by Jaaved Jaaferi, his wife Habiba Jaffrey, their relatives, and other individuals in a proposed redevelopment project located in Bandra West. Authorities allege that investors were promised lucrative returns and commercial spaces within the project but were deceived through the use of forged documents and false assurances.

According to police officials, Habiba Jaffrey first encountered Mahesh Patil in April 2024 during a visit to his BMC office for a tax-related matter. During this interaction, Patil allegedly informed her about an investment opportunity related to a Bandra property project and advised her to channel investments through Nishit Patel.

Investigators claim that Patel subsequently visited the Jaffrey family's residence multiple times, presenting layouts, maps, and project-related documents to gain their trust. He allegedly persuaded the family to invest substantial sums in exchange for commercial space in the proposed redevelopment. Crime branch officials further allege that forged letters, purportedly from a private bank, along with other fabricated documents, were used to convince investors of the project's legitimacy.

The property cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch previously arrested Nishit Patel for his alleged role in the scheme. Authorities estimate that approximately Rs 16.24 crores was collected from Jaaved Jaaferi, his family members, and other investors through these misleading representations concerning the redevelopment project.

Police sources indicate that the alleged fraud might have affected several prominent individuals, including retired police officers, civic officials, artists, and retired judges. These individuals reportedly invested amounts ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 20 crores after being promised attractive returns.

The alleged fraud reportedly came to light in July 2025 when some complainants visited the Bandra registration office to verify project-related documents. During this process, they allegedly discovered that one of the agreements shown to them did not exist in official records.

(Source: Bollywood Hungama)