Third child, fake certificate: Corporator Mehraj Khan in police custody till May 17

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

AIMIM corporator Mehraj Khan and school headmaster Ilyas Qadir Siddiqui were arrested Tuesday. Mehraj Khan remanded to police custody till May 17 after a case was registered at the City Chowk police station for concealing a third child through a fake bonafide certificate to contest the Municipal Corporation election.

Police suspect a larger racket is active behind the fraudulent certificate and have told the court they will investigate whether other candidates used the same pattern to hide children during elections. A DNA test of Mehraj Khan will also be conducted, and the headmaster's school records will be fully verified. On March 26, a deadly attack was carried out on Islam Party leader from Malegaon, Rafat Yar Khan (45, resident of Mill Corner) in the Juna Bazar area due to a political dispute. In this case, a case of attempt to murder was registered against Mehraj Khan's brother Minaj Khan (40, City Chowk) along with 11 others. When API Manoj Shinde wrote to the school to verify a juvenile's age, the bonafide certificate showed the child as Minaj's son but the school leaving record revealed the child actually belongs to Mehraj, who had declared only two children in his Election Commission affidavit. A case has been registered against Mehraj, his wife Nilofer, brother Minaj, sister-in-law Iqra, headmaster Ilyas, friend Sajju Ustad, and a minor. The remaining accused fled their homes before they could be detained.

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Second blow to AIMIM; Mehraj Also Behind Bars

The arrests come as a second simultaneous blow to AIMIM corporator Matin Khan is already absconding after a sexual exploitation and conversion case was registered against him in Nashik. Lokmat Times had first reported Mehraj's fraud on April 25.