MUMBAI: As a police inspector, Mahendra Chavan (48) makes Rs 51,000 a month. That he has three bank accounts with Rs 16 lakh in deposits can be explained by smart investments. That he has two cars and has liquor worth Rs 30,000 in the bar can be explained by considering him to be a man of taste who knows his priorities. What cannot be explained, and what has the police searching for answers, is that he owns property worth over Rs 40 crore.

Chavan, an officer at the Ulhasnagar police station, was caught by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) four days ago for accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000. There are other sordid details about him. The ACB said he is a loan shark: the bureau has learnt of at least two people who took Rs 16 lakh from him at very high interest rates. It said he is also a sex pest.

Chavan comes from a middle class family; his wife is a homemaker and they have two school-going children. The ACB raided his home in Varap village, Titwala, and found proof of assets far beyond his known sources of income. They include documents proving he owns 187 guntha, or over 18,918 sq m, in Kalyan, Titwala and Ulhasnagar. The properties are worth over Rs 40 crore, said experts. “Because of a boom in the area, property rates are very high. The cost of one guntha in places like Maharal and Varap on Murbad Road can vary in the Rs 10-30 lakh range,” said Ashok Jadhav, an agent.

Inspector Vaidya of ACB, Thane, said the bureau is yet to reach the exact valuation for the properties, “but yes, the price of land in those areas is very high and what Chavan owns may cost several crores of rupees”.

An ACB source said a preliminary probe suggests that Chavan bought property with ill-gotten money. “He comes from a very ordinary background and is the only earning member in his family.”

On sex complaints against Chavan, an officer said, “At least eight women have complained against him, claiming that he sexually abused them when they went to lodge cases at his police station. We have recorded the statements of three of the women. We will submit a report on the matter to the Thane police commissioner, who can then have an FIR filed under sections 354 (sexual assault) and 509 (words, gestures or act intended to insult the modesty of women) of the Indian Penal Code against Chavan.”