When the Additional Chief Magistrate 3rd Esplanade Court asked Prakash Birwandar on August 19 to produce Ibrahim Watandar in a Customs case (CC 103) that has been in court since 1986, he alleged that Watandar was dead, and flashed a death certicate to support his claim. Birwandar had stood as surety for Watandar for Rs 2 lakh in 1989, but when Watandar jumped bail in 1997, Birwandar was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to produce the accused before the magistrate.

Sniffing a rat, the Court instructed the Azad Maidan police to investigate the matter. The certificate was found to be fake and Birwandar was arrested and charged under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

According to Nagnath Askulkar, Senior Inspector, Azad Maidan police, Birwandar told the police that the certificate was given to him by BalbirIndersingh Sandhu and Chandulal Chor, friends of Watandar. The two men have also been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.