Cheating case:Builder DSK's brother detained at Mumbai airport

Pune-based builder D S Kulkarni's brother Makrand Kulkarni, an accused in a Rs 2,000 crore cheating case, was detained at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday when he was about to fly to the US, police said.

Pune police in May last year filed a charge sheet against D S Kulkarni, also known as DSK, his wife and others for allegedly cheating nearly 33,000 depositors and investors of nearly Rs 2043.18 crore.

Makrand Kulkarni is also an accused in the case and a look out notice was issued against him by Pune police earlier, since he was on the run after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a court.

"Based on specific information, a team of Mumbai police on Tuesday detained him before he could take a flight to the US," a senior police official here said.

The Mumbai police personnel later informed their Pune counterparts about Makrand Kulkarni's detention.

A team of Pune police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) subsequently left for Mumbai to take him into custody, he said.

"After completing formalities of his arrest, Makrand Kulkrani will be produced in a Pune court later in a day," the official said.

According to a complaint filed in 2017 by one of the depositors, Jitendra Mulekar, investors put in lakhs of rupees in a deposit scheme of DSK Developers, but they neither received the interest nor the principal amount for months.

The EOW earlier booked Kulkarnis under various provisions of the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act, and Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention).

Around 15 people have been named as accused in the case and 10 of them have so far been arrested, including DSK and his wife.

A charge sheet was earlier filed by police against DSK and his wife, who are currently lodged at Yerawada jail in Pune, the official said.