Former Shiv Sena MLA Pawan Pandey Arrested in Cheating and Forgery Case

The Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday arrested former Shiv Sena MLA Pawan Pandey in connection with a case of cheating and forgery from Barabanki district.

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested former Shiv Sena MLA Pawan Pandey on Friday. The arrest was made in connection with a case of cheating and forgery, originating from Barabanki district as stated by an official release.

According to the statement issued by the STF, Champa Devi had filed a case alleging that after her husband's death in 2020, Pandey and his associates schemed to seize her land worth Rs 8 crores. They allegedly administered an intoxicating injection to her son Ajay Singh and forged an agreement indicating that the value of the land was only Rs 20 lakhs. Furthermore, she alleged that they subsequently moved an application to have a woman's name entered into her family register as Ajay’s wife. A fake marriage certificate was also submitted for this purpose.

Tragic Death and Legal Proceedings

In a tragic turn of events, Devi’s son died in a road accident on October 23, 2020. Following these incidents, last year an FIR was lodged against Pandey at Akbarpur Kotwali under sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forging documents), 471(using forged documents as genuine) and section120-B(criminal conspiracy) of IPC. The FIR also named five others who were subsequently arrested; two among them are currently out on bail.

Court Intervention Leads To Arrest

Bail petitions were later filed at the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court by two accused citing different grounds. Upon taking cognizance of these developments, on May19,2023,the High Court ordered STF to investigate this matter further.

STF's Investigation and Arrest

In accordance with the High Court’s directive, the STF team conducted a thorough investigation which led to the discovery of Pandey's guilt. He was arrested on Friday from near Bhitaria of Ram Sanehi Ghat police station area in Barabanki district. The STF revealed that about 90 cases are registered against Pandey across several police stations including Ambedkar Nagar, Prayagraj, Lucknow and Mumbai. Following his arrest, he was lodged at Kotwali Akbarpur in Ambedkar Nagar and has been remanded to judicial custody after completion of legal formalities.

Pandey had previously been elected as an MLA from Shiv Sena for the Akbarpur assembly seat back in 1991.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of how power can be misused for personal gain at times. It also underscores the importance of rigorous law enforcement agencies like STF who work tirelessly to uphold justice by investigating such high-profile cases thoroughly.