CBI Charges Maharashtra Ex Minister's Family Members Over Alleged Report Leak

In a fresh jolt to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, the CBI has chargesheeted his daughter Pooja and daughter-in-law Rahat in connection with alleged leakage of the agency's internal draft report in 2021 giving clean chit to the leader in an extortion case against him, officials said.

In its supplementary charge sheet filed before a special CBI court here, the agency has termed Pooja a "co-conspirator" who allegedly planned, directed and provided logistical support to Deshmukh's lawyer Anand Dilip Daga to bribe agency's sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari in order to get the draft report, they said.

The report was leaked to the media on August 29, 2021 "to subvert" the Bombay High Court-directed probe against him, the agency has alleged.

The Bombay High Court had directed the CBI to probe allegations of extortion worth crores from Restaurants and Bars owners in Mumbai levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against Anil Deshmukh.

The CBI report leaked to the media purportedly mentioned that "no cognisable offence has been committed by Anil Deshmukh". The agency had arrested its sub-inspector Abhishek Tiwari and Mr Deshmukh's lawyer Mr Daga in connection with the leakage and they were charged in 2021.

Continuing its probe into the conspiracy, the CBI has filed its supplementary chargesheet after two years in which a distant relative of Mr Deshmukh - Vikrant Deshmukh - and one Sayajeet Wayal have also been charged in addition to Pooja and Rahat.

All the accused have said they have no relation or connection with the allegations levelled against them and they have been falsely implicated in it.

Before filing the charge sheet, the CBI questioned them but they were never taken into custody.

The CBI has also sent Letters Rogatory to the US through the Special CBI court here seeking email dumps of the accused, they said.

The agency has alleged that Pooja had directed Mr Daga for the "illegal procurement and leakage of case-related documents" of the preliminary enquiry and FIR against the former minister "with the intention to subvert the investigation".

"The WhatsApp conversation in WhatsApp groups 'Team And A' and 'Inner Circle' revealed that even the designing of pamphlets, 'naare' (slogans) and printouts to create video content, tweets and photo banners against CBI investigation was done on the directions of Pooja Deshmukh," the agency has alleged.

Based on the analysis of WhatsApp chat groups, the CBI has submitted that Pooja allegedly made logistical arrangements for Mr Daga to travel to HAL Guest House in Pune where Mr Tiwari was staying to conduct raids in connection with the probe against Deshmukh.

Mr Daga met Mr Tiwari who allegedly leaked the draft report in return for an iPhone12 Pro, the agency has alleged.

The CBI has alleged that Pooja sent an Innova car, used by her family, with her driver Kundan for Mr Daga's travel to HAL Guest house in Pune where Mr Tiwari was staying.

"The register maintained at the entry gate of Dnyaneshwari Bungalow establishes the fact that the said vehicle was regularly used by the family members of Anil Deshmukh including Pooja Deshmukh," the chargesheet filed in August has alleged.

The scrutiny of the entry register at the HAL guest house shows the entry of the said vehicle and phone number of driver Kundan, the agency has alleged.

The central probe agency also analysed the Google take out of Mr Daga which confirmed his travel from Mumbai to HAL Guest House.

The CBI has alleged that Pooja had directed Mr Daga to send the cover letter, printing plan and material to "V" i.e. Vaibhav Gajendra Tumane, the social media handler of the ex-minister and print the report for circulation to various media houses to run a "parallel media trial" in favour of Mr Deshmukh.

The CBI has also chargesheeted Satyajeet Wayal who was instrumental in the procurement of the iPhone 12 worth Rs 95,000 from a shop in Mukund Nagar, Pune that was allegedly used to bribe Mr Tiwari.

Mr Daga had purchased the phone through Mr Wayal on July 27, 2021 and handed it over to him in Pune, the CBI has alleged.

The CBI had also found the conversations indicating the alleged role of Rahat Deshmukh, daughter-in-law of Anil Deshmukh, in the conspiracy to leak the report.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)