New Delhi, September 27
The CBI has taken over the probe into allegations of assault and extortion against Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan levelled by the director of a Jalgaon-based education trust, officials said today.
The CBI took over the investigation following recommendations by the Maharashtra Home Department, headed by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, the officials said.
They added that originally, the case was registered by the Jalgaon police, which was later taken over by the Pune police on January 5 last year.
The FIR was transferred to Pune because the alleged crime had taken place in the city and it was filed against 28 people, including Mahajan, a BJP leader, sources said. Vijay Patil, a director of the Jalgaon Jilha Maratha Vidya Prasarak Sahakari Samaj, had filed the complaint with Nimbhora police in December 2020.
Patil told the police that in 2018, he and his colleague had gone to Pune to collect old records of the institute from its former secretary Tanaji Bhoite on the instruction of his elder brother Narendra Patil, who was the chairman of the institute.
While they were in Pune, Nilesh Bhoite, one of the accused, allegedly told Patil to hand over the institute to him as Mahajan was interested in it. He also made a video call to Mahajan, who allegedly told Patil to ask all directors to submit their resignations and hand over the reins to Nilesh Bhoite.
The accused offered Patil Rs 1 crore, but when he declined, he was allegedly taken to a flat in the Sadashiv Peth area, where one of the accused hit him on the head and threatened him at knife-point.
