Textbook Scam: 2 More Held, Mumbai Storeroom Busted
The duo — identified as Sujeet Chaudhary and Deepak Maurya — was allegedly responsible for transportation, storage, marketing and unauthorized sale of the school textbooks.
Police sources say the racketeers had set up fake book shops, tied up with school textbook publishing company on "commission basis" to procure large quantities and then vanished with the stock worth over Rs76 lakh, allegedly diverting it to black markets.
Acting on information extracted during interrogation of the first two arrested accused over a week ago, a special team led by the anti-extortion cell carried out a series of coordinated raids at nearly a dozen locations in and around Nalasopara area.
The investigating officer inspector Ravindra Naikwad told TOI that Sujeet Chaudhary was arrested during one such raid, and upon further interrogation, he revealed the location of a storeroom where thousands of govt-issued school textbooks were being hoarded.
The storeroom, located deep within a settlement known for housing African immigrants, was packed with bundles of textbooks worth an estimated ₹2 to ₹3 lakh. A vehicle suspected to be used for transporting the stolen material was also located. "Though a significant portion of the stolen material had already been moved out before our raid, we managed to recover nearly 50% of the stock," said Naikwad.
The Nagpur team received crucial support from Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) crime branch during the operation.
"Inspector Sameer Ahirrao of MBVV played crucial role in coordinating local intelligence and providing logistical support to ensure the operation was executed smoothly," the city cop added.
According to Naikwad, Sujeet and Deepak had been involved in the scam since the beginning. Their role primarily revolved around setting up unauthorized stalls at schools, handling marketing, and organizing logistics for the distribution and sale of the stolen textbooks. Officials suspect existence of multiple such storerooms in Mumbai and believe a larger network may still be operating under the radar.
The accused have been remanded in police custody till July 29. Further interrogations are expected to help trace the remaining missing stock and uncover additional players involved in the racket.
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