The Mumbai Police have filed a closure report in a case alleging the swindling of funds collected to save the warship INS Vikrant, giving a clean chit to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil Somaiya.

According to police sources, extensive investigations found no evidence of misappropriation.

Earlier in August, the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police had filed a closure report, but the court rejected it, stating that sufficient investigations had not been conducted. Now, after the revised closure report (C summary report), the final acceptance is awaited.

The complaint against the BJP leader and others alleged that between 2013 and 2014, Somaiya launched a campaign to raise public funds to save INS Vikrant, India’s first warship, which was set to be scrapped after being decommissioned.

With the aim of converting the warship into a museum, Somaiya, his son Neil, and others conducted a fundraising drive titled ‘Vikrant Wachwa’ (Save Vikrant in Marathi) and collected crores of rupees, the complaint filed by ex-serviceman Sipoy Baban Bhimrao Bhosale alleged.

The complaint stated that a document obtained under the Right to Information Act revealed the funds were not deposited with the Maharashtra Governor’s office. It claimed that Somaiya collected approximately Rs 57 crores from various areas across Mumbai and misused the funds.

The complaint was filed when the BJP was in opposition in Maharashtra, and Uddhav Thackeray was the Chief Minister.

However, in their closure report, the police stated that their investigation found no evidence of fund misuse by Somaiya and his son.