Mumbai, June 9 -- Mahesh Subhash Patil, a serving Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) assistant commissioner, has been suspended after investigators declared him a "wanted accused" who is currently absconding. He is accused of helping dupe members of actor Javed Jaaferi's family of Rs.16.24 crore through a bogus redevelopment investment scheme. The case pertains to an alleged investment fraud in which Javed Jaaferi's wife, Habiba Jaaferi, accused Patil and businessman Nishit Patel of luring the family into investing in a Bandra redevelopment project using forged government documents and false promises of high returns. According to the suspension order, the Crime Branch informed the BMC that Patil, posted in the K-North ward, is a wanted accused and that efforts are underway to trace him. Following a status inquiry by the civic administration on May 27, police informed the BMC on May 29 that the investigation was continuing and Patil remained untraceable. Police have already arrested Nishit Patel in the case. He was produced before a court and remanded to police custody. According to the complaint, Habiba Jaaferi first came in contact with Patil in April 2024 after receiving a property tax notice for her Andheri bungalow. Patil, who was then serving as an assistant commissioner, allegedly offered to help resolve the issue and introduced her to an investment opportunity in a proposed commercial redevelopment project called "New Kamalkunj" in Bandra. The complaint alleges that Patil facilitated meetings with businessman Nishit Patel, who claimed to have links with major developers and represented that nearly Rs.150 crore had already been invested in the project. To gain the family's confidence, the accused allegedly produced forged government-style documents, maps and pre-lease agreements. Police said the accused also allegedly staged registration exercises at the family's residence, including collecting photographs, fingerprints and signatures under the guise of official procedures. Believing the project to be genuine, the Jaaferi family allegedly invested substantial sums after liquidating assets, with funds routed through multiple entities. The alleged fraud is estimated at Rs.16.24 crore and includes payments made through cheques, cash, foreign currency and luxury items. Patil had earlier been sent on compulsory leave for a month in November 2025 over allegations linked to the same redevelopment project. He had denied the allegations at the time....