Devendra Fadnavis questioned by cyber police in illegal phone-tapping and police transfer case

A team of Mumbai police’s cyber cell on Sunday recorded the statement of leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis at his residence in connection with the illegal phone-tapping and police transfer case

A team of Mumbai police’s cyber cell on Sunday recorded the statement of leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis at his residence in connection with the illegal phone-tapping and police transfer case.

Police officials arrive to question leader of opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday. Bhushan Koyande/ HT Photo

The team headed by deputy commissioner of police Hemraj Singh Rajput reached the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s house at Malabar Hill around 12 pm and remained there for two-and-a-half hours, a police officer said, refusing to share the details of the statement. Assistant commissioner of police Nitin Jadhav and three other police officers were also there along with Rajput.

Summons was issued to Fadnavis after the former CM did not respond to the questionnaires sent to him by police in sealed envelopes. Besides, notices were issued to him twice earlier, but he did not reply, a police officer said.

The case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at BKC cyber police station last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents. The complaint was lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID). However, before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra chief secretary, Sitaram Kunte, had alleged in his inquiry report that senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had leaked the confidential report.

The cyber police had also recorded the statement of Shukla in May last year. Initially, she was summoned by the city cyber police in connection with the alleged illegal phone tapping and confidential report leak.

Shukla, who is presently posted in Hyderabad on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deputation, had been asked to appear before Jadhav on April 28 to record her statement. But she replied in an email to the cyber police that in view of the pandemic situation and the serious nature of her responsibilities in CRPF, she would not be able to be present herself and requested a list of questions be sent to her. Later, a cyber cell team visited Hyderabad and recorded her statement.

Fadnavis on Saturday said that he was asked to appear before police and record his statement in a case of alleged illegal tapping of phones and he would visit BKC cyber police station on Sunday. Later, he said a senior police officer called to inform him that police officers would visit his residence to take the required information and there was no need for him to visit the police station.

Anticipating gathering of BJP supporters outside Fadnavis’s residence and BKC cyber police station, additional police personnel, including women officers, were deployed at both places.

Last month, home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had said that phones of political leaders, including state Congress chief Nana Patole, minister Bachchu Kadu, former MLA Ashish Deshmukh, and former MP Sanjay Kakade, were tapped illegally by Shukla, when she was the SID chief.