Teacher gets three years RI for preparing a forged letter on behalf of the court to avoid paying child support

The convict, Santosh Ingle, is stationed at a school in Sindhudurg district. He lives in Navegaon in Akola district

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A 48-year-old teacher from Akola district in Maharashtra has been sentenced to three years in prison for drafting a forged letter on behalf of the court asking him to stop paying child support to his wife, PTI news agency reported.

The convict, Santosh Ingle, is stationed at a school in Sindhudurg District. He is a resident of Navegaon in Akola district, PTI reported.

The Court of First Class Judge KK Kurandale in Patur, Akola District convicted Ingle under Section 248(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of committing an offense punishable under Section 468 (Forgery for the Purpose of Fraud) of the Indian Criminal Code.

The court ordered Ingle to pay Rs 3,000 a month alimony in December 2016 and ordered Kudal Sindhudurg block development officials to deduct the amount from his monthly salary, prosecutors said.
The forgery came to light in August 2018 when the court sought a status report on child support payments from the principal of the school where Ingle was based, PTI reported.

The court ordered an investigation after the report submitted by the headmaster stated that the withdrawal of Rs 3,000 had been halted under the court order.

After confirming that the court had not issued such an order and that the letter received by the school was fake, a case was filed against Ingle in December 2020 for forgery and fraud, prosecutors said, PTI reported.

A total of 11 witnesses were heard at the trial.

Meanwhile, a court in Navi Mumbai has sentenced two men to two years in prison for assaulting a police officer on duty.

Defendants Sachin Ravindra Shikare, 44, and Naresh Popat Kaleti, 45, were found guilty by Belapur Court Deputy Judge KR Deshpande on Monday under the relevant provisions of India’s Penal Code.

The court sentenced them to two years of strict imprisonment and fined them Rs 2,000 each.

Additional Prosecutor (APP) EB Dhamal told the court that on January 21, 2016, a police officer intercepted the defendants at a checkpoint in Vashi, believing them to be chain robbers.

However, the duo failed to stop their motorcycle and sped past the police officer, who was chasing and catching up to them, he said.

The accused insulted the police officer, tried to run him over with a two-wheeler and abused him, the APP said. Other police forces were informed of the attack and the duo arrested.

Five witnesses, including the police officer and his employee, were heard in the case, it said.

(With inputs from PTI)