‘Fake letter’ against senior officials: Probe transferred to crime branch

A police source said, “The probe was transferred to the crime branch by the senior officers. Since sections of the IT Act were invoked in the FIR registered at Nagpada police, the cyber police that comes under the crime branch has been asked to probe the matter.”  The source added, “On Tuesday, DCP (Motor Transport) Nimba Patil had come to the Mumbai crime branch office and joined the probe.”

On January 9,a case was registered under sections 500 (defamation), 506 (criminal intimidation, 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 465 (forgery) of the IPC and under relevant sections of IT Act at the Nagpada police station against unidentified persons.

Police said that the case was filed for allegedly writing inaccurate details and submitting the same to the chief minister, deputy chief minister and other senior officials from the department.

The investigators further added that the letter is suspected to have been dispatched via Speed Post from Dadar.

The three-page letter, which was widely shared on social media in January alleged that the three officers had taken the eight woman constables to their official residence and sexually assaulted them.  It also said that some of the constables got pregnant following the incident.

Since the allegations against the three senior officials were serious in nature, the Mumbai Police initiated an inquiry.

Later when the eight women constable drivers informed that they had not written the letter, police authorities initiated an inquiry to identify the person who wrote the letter and circulated it. The Maharashtra State Commission for Women took cognizance of the matter Monday and issued a notice to the Mumbai police commissioner to conduct a probe and submit a detailed report to them.