DGP Pasricha deposes before special CBI court

Mumbai, Mar 1 (UNI) Maharashtra Director General of Police P S Pasricha today said he had sanctioned prosecution of two city police officials accused of shielding multi-crore fake stamp paper scam prime accused Abdul Karim Telgi after finding their prima facie involvement during a detailed study of the case papers.

The State police chief said this during deposition before the special CBI court as the defence alleged that Dr Pasricha had signed the sanction for prosecution of the accused police officials on the ready draft order sent by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The DGP, however, denied the charge in the court of Mr U D Salvi.

Defence counsel Ishwariprasad Bhagade grilled the DGP, alleging Dr Pasricha had signed the sanction on the ready draft order sent by CBI.

The DGP's statement was recorded in connection with the 1995 scam cases registered with Colaba and Cuffe Parade police stations in Mumbai.

Dr Pasricha had accorded sanction for the prosecution of two suspended Assistant Police Inspectors -- Kabul Parmar and Angatrao Sonwalkar -- on the charge of shielding Telgi.

CBI had clubbed the cases regsitered in the two police stations as the accused in both the cases involving an amount of Rs. 22.56 lakh are the same.

Other accused besides Telgi are: Ramratan Soni, Sanjay Gaikwad (both convicted for ten years alongwith Telgi in fake stamp case of 1995), Sabin Ahmed, Mohammed Sahi Mahammed, Riaz Makan, K Denial, Srikant and Laxmikant.

UNI PVN SA VJ RN2045