Recently, there has been a growing problem in Pune with fake calls made in the names of leaders. The most recent incident involved the dean of Sassoon General Hospital receiving a call from someone claiming to be the Chief Minister's PA, using the name of Eknath Shinde. The caller requested that the dean cancel a tender that had been granted to a person running a mess in the Medical College, and issue a new one for the same purpose.
During the fake call, the caller spoke with the hospital dean, Sanjay Thakur, for a duration of approximately five to six minutes. However, Thakur became suspicious of the call's intention and decided to verify the details by contacting the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). The CMO confirmed that they had not made any such call, leading Thakur to realize that it was a fake call. Despite this incident, neither the dean nor any other hospital officials have filed a complaint with the police.
Previously, a fake call was made to a local builder, in which the caller demanded extortion money using the name of former mayor Murlidhar Mohol. Similar incidents of fake calls were reported last year in Pune, where callers falsely claimed to be Ajit Pawar, demanding extortion from industrialists in the city.