NCP Pune President Deepak Mankar, Two Others Booked for Forgery and Dubious Financial Transactions
NCP Pune President Deepak Mankar, Two Others Booked for Forgery and Dubious Financial Transactions
Pune city police have filed an FIR against Deepak Madhavrao Mankar, 67, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party’s Pune city unit, along with two associates, in connection with a case involving document forgery and suspicious financial activity. The complaint, registered at Samarth police station, also names NCP office-bearer Shantanu Kukde (53) and Raunak Jain (38).
Authorities stated that forged documents were allegedly created to conceal a major financial transaction involving over ₹1.18 crore, which was transferred from the bank account of Red House Foundation—an NGO linked to Kukde—to Mankar’s personal account between September and October 2024.
This financial trail emerged while police were investigating Kukde in a separate, serious case. He had earlier been arrested—along with seven others—for allegedly sexually assaulting a foreign woman. In another matter, Kukde is accused of abusing two women, one of whom is a minor, while claiming to offer them financial assistance through his NGO.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1), Sandeep Singh Gill, said that during this probe, officials found monetary transactions that seemed irregular and raised red flags. “While tracking the flow of funds in the other case, we stumbled upon this large transfer involving Mankar, Kukde, and Jain, which did not appear to have a clear or legal basis,” he stated.
When confronted, Mankar reportedly told police that the money was a partial payment for a real estate deal involving Raunak Jain. He claimed Jain was buying a five-acre land parcel valued at ₹5.51 crore, and the transferred amount was an advance installment.
“To support this explanation, Mankar submitted a document claiming to be the agreement for the land transaction,” said a senior officer. “However, upon verification, it turned out that both the signatures and stamps on the document were not genuine.”
DCP Gill confirmed that all three accused have been charged under sections relating to forgery and use of forged documents. “We’re continuing to investigate the origin of these documents and the full extent of the financial dealings,” he noted.
Though Mankar has not been arrested yet, police said he has been implicated in multiple past criminal cases. While some of those charges have led to acquittals, others remain under trial in various courts.
Mankar has been a visible face of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction in Pune and played an active role during the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections. However, in October 2024, he had publicly threatened to resign from his position, expressing frustration over being overlooked for a nomination to the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC).
“I’ve put in significant work to strengthen the party in Pune,” Mankar had said at the time, “but if that effort is going to be ignored and I’m excluded from such opportunities, then I’ll step back from leadership and stay on merely as a worker.”
He had also taken a swipe at the leadership, accusing them of showing favoritism toward Rupali Chakankar, the NCP women’s wing chief, by extending her tenure as chairperson of the state women’s commission. “The rules seem to be bent for some, while others like me are left out without explanation,” he had remarked. As the investigation continues, police are examining more records related to Red House Foundation’s finances and its links to Mankar, Kukde, and Jain.
