Encounter specialist fired for shooting for film without permission

Mumbai: A police officer who had essayed the role of an encounter specialist in the film Ab Tak Chhappan was dismissed from service on Tuesday by the police commissioner. The officer, inspector Pravin Patil, had gone on leave and travelled outside the country to shoot for the movie, without taking the mandatory permission from his superiors. He had also travelled to Bangkok and Hong Kong on a trip funded by the wife of an accused who was arrested in a cheating case by Patil.

Patil, who was attached with the Protection branch, had gone to London to shoot for the film. "From December 11-20, 2005, Patil along with his wife Sangita, who is also police inspector attached with the Crime Branch Unit 9, had gone for the shooting. His daughter Kalyani and son Om also accompanied them.

"It is mandatory for every police inspector to take permission from the department before leaving the country. Patil did not do so," said a senior officer from the Mumbai police.

Patil had also gone to Bangkok and Hong Kong in 2006, the money for which was paid by a sub broker Harish Jashnani, who was arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in a scam related to securities and shares.

The sub broker was arrested in August 2006. While he was in police custody, Patil allegedly struck the deal with his wife. He offered to help her husband escape punishment. In return, she was to pick up the tab for a foreign tour to Hong Kong and Bangkok undertaken by Patil and five members of his family from January 23-27, 2006.

Patil went on the jaunt, but on his return, allegedly failed to keep his end of the deal. Annoyed, Jashnani's wife spilled the beans to Patil's superiors.

The scam
Haresh Jashnani, 47, and his younger brother Tulsi, 45, were first booked for allegedly duping a share investment company, Satco, of Rs 2.32 crore, but were released on bail. After their release, Tulsi posed as a share broker and convinced Praful Vora, owner of a department store, to invest in their company's shares and extracted Rs 25.24 lakh from him on the pretext. But they never transferred the shares to his Vora's account, who then complained to the Economic Offence Wing.