VIP guests at weddings, jobs in major government offices: gang of fake officers charged lakhs of rupees

– Police custody of Ashraf, fake OSD Dimpy, and Datta Shete extended by three more days

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A gang posing as IAS and OSD officers collected lakhs of rupees by promising VIP guests for high-profile weddings, government jobs in major departments, and prestigious awards. This came to light during the interrogation of fake woman IAS officer Kalpana Bhagwat’s partner Mohammad Ashraf Gil, fake OSD Dimpy Devendrakumar Harjai, and land developer Datta Shete from Shrigonda, police said. Bank transactions have confirmed that money was accepted for these deals.

Kalpana Bhagwat is currently in judicial custody. However, her partner Ashraf and Delhi-based associate Dimpy were in police custody, along with Shete who was arrested on Saturday. Their custody ended on Tuesday, after which all three were produced before the court. Police informed the court that additional transactions involving Ashraf and Dimpy had surfaced, and the people who paid them had been identified and turned into witnesses. The prosecution argued that the gang extorted money under various pretexts. The court then extended their police custody by three days.

Jobs in major central health department office

Ashraf, Dimpy and Kalpana allegedly took money from two individuals by promising high-ranking jobs in the central health department. Police have recorded the statement of one such person. Of the amount collected, Rs 50,000 was transferred by Ashraf.

VIP guests for weddings

The gang lured several wealthy families by promising to bring top VIPs from across the country to their weddings. They charged lakhs of rupees for this. One such transaction of Rs 1 lakh has come to light, and police have traced the person involved. Sources said Ashraf handled several of these financial dealings.

Police added that people who claimed to have recommendation letters and felicitation certificates for prestigious awards would also be questioned, and the authenticity of their documents will be verified as part of the investigation.