Sanjay Joshi's CD forged: Police

Bhopal, Mar 30 (UNI) The Hyderabad-based forensic laboratory has given a clean chit to senior BJP leader Sanjay Joshi in the CD involving him in the infamous sex scandal which rocked the party in December last year.

The report of the laboratory, which is known for high standards of cyber crime investigation, has opined that the photographs of Mr Joshi, supplied to it by the state police, did not forensically match with that of the person shown in objectionable postures with a woman in the CD.

Giving details of the report, received by the state police a few days back, state IG(CID) M P Dwivedi, who is the chief investigating officer of the case, today said the report had described the CD in question as an electronic forged record.

''It's a compressed version and digital manipulation with jumps and cuts and editing at several places and lacks continuity,'' he said.

As the ''producers'' of the CD had resorted to ''cromo-smearing'' method by using strong lights in the background, the report said it was not possible even to furnish identification marks of those in the CD.

However, it was clear that there is no link in the CD in question with the photos of Mr Joshi, who resigned as BJP General Secretary at the party's silver jubilee convention in Mumbai after the CD surfaced.

Mr Dwivedi said it appeared that the culprits had tried to ''blackmail'' Mr Joshi through the forged electronic record. He quoted the report confirming the presence of two other persons in the CD, one of whom featured briefly while carrying a tray. The CD had been shot with the help of a video camera and cassette, while sound tracks were switched off, probably to avoid noise of other activities in the room, which may give clue of the location and others present there.

The focus was adjusted to provide reduced frames, apparently to keep others out of view.

Significantly, there were no lip movements, indicating towards digital manipulations.

Mr Dwivedi said police were trying to make computer images of two persons, who dispatched 38 letters relating to the case through a Bhopal-based courier.

He said police teams, with the help of computerised images, would soon fan out in different directions to track the cuplrits.

On verification, police had found that the sender's name and address on the envelopes of the threatening letters to Mr Joshi were false.

Through the letters, the unidentified culprits had threatened to eliminate him and defame him through electronic apparatus if he failed to meet their demand for Rs 50 lakh.

He said police had swung into action soon after receiving a complaint from Mr Joshi, who handed over the letters and the CD.

A case was registered on December 30 under section 387 (putting person in fear of death to commit extortion), section 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation by using forged electronic records), section 471 (using as genuine a forged electronic record) and section 507 of the IPC (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) and section 67 of the IT Act (publishing of information which is obscene in electronic form).

UNI