CBI to probe 'conspiracy' against Gavit

CBI will ascertain who had actually spoken to the criminal held in a UP jail and how the conversation was aired.

The CBI on Saturday registered a case to ascertain who was involved in the alleged conspiracy behind a TV channel's report on a purported conversation between a jailed gangster and Union Minister Manikrao Gavit, who has been given a clean chit by the agency.

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The CBI will ascertain who had actually spoken to the criminal held in a Uttar Pradesh jail and how the conversation was aired without any authentication, official sources said.

The case was registered after the CBI received a complaint from the government against unknown people for alleged forgery and cheating, sources said.

CBI sleuths have questioned a real estate dealer arrested by Delhi Police on Friday night for allegedly posing as Gavit during his conversations with some people, sources said. No decision has been made so far in taking the man into custody for questioning to ascertain whether he was linked to the TV channel's report, they said.

The CBI gave a clean chit to Gavit after a voice spectography test showed his voice did not match that featured in the TV news channel's report of the purported conversation between the minister and gangster Surinder Bhati.