• Entire case based solely on fraud; no evidence of anti-national activity
Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The investigation into a fake female IAS officer Kalpana Bhagwat, her boyfriend Mohammad Ashraf Gil, Dimpi Harjai who posed as an OSD to a union Minister and Dattatray Shete, a property dealer from Shrigonda, has been completed. On Friday, the court ordered their remand to judicial custody.
Kalpana’s arrest had made headlines nationwide. The mobile phones of her Afghan boyfriend revealed contacts with officials of the cantonment board in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, including numbers registered under the names of their wives, which shook the investigative agencies. The city police, along with central agencies and ATS, conducted a thorough investigation for nearly ten days. It emerged that the accused had collected money from multiple people under various pretexts, pretending to be officials. Sources confirmed that no evidence of anti-national activity was found.
Timeline of Events:
• 23 November: Kalpana Bhagwat arrested from Panchtarankit Hotel.
• 28 November: Her boyfriend Ashraf and Dimpi Harjai, posing as a union Minister’s OSD, arrested in Delhi.
• 2 December: Former mentor S.N. Pathan, who had given money to Kalpana, recorded his statement.
• 3 December: Kalpana found to have received Rs 1.45 lakh from MP Nagesh Astikar.
• 6 December: Kalpana sent to judicial custody.
• 6 December: Shete, who came in contact with Kalpana in 2021, arrested from Shrigonda.
• 12 December: Remaining three sent to judicial custody.
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Strong evidence in bank accounts, calls, and messages
The financial transactions between Kalpana and her associates, along with WhatsApp chats, provide strong evidence of the racket run by the fake officer. The police are preparing to obtain this evidence officially from the forensic department. Furthermore, the individuals who paid money will be included as witnesses in the chargesheet. Senior officials stated that a detailed chargesheet with testimonies of those who paid will be filed soon.