This Article is From May 26, 2016

Top Maharashtra Minister To Be Investigated Over Dawood Calls

Top Maharashtra Minister To Be Investigated Over Dawood Calls

Eknath Khadse, the senior-most BJP leader in the Maharashtra cabinet, claimed he had documents to prove that his mobile phone was hacked to show as if calls were made. (File Photo)

Highlights

  • Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse allegedly got calls from Dawood Ibrahim
  • Have documents to prove my phone was hacked: Eknath Khadse
  • Minister says number wasn't in use; cyber cell investigating matter
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the Anti-Terrorism Squad to probe the allegation that Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse received phone calls from fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's house in Karachi.

"Both I and the chief minister wanted the matter to be investigated...so the chief minister has asked ATS to probe it," Mr Khadse said today.

Mr Khadse, the senior-most BJP leader in the state cabinet, claimed he had documents to prove that his mobile phone was hacked to show as if calls were made, and added that he would hand over all the evidence in this regard to the investigating agencies.

The beleaguered minister said the matter was already being investigated by the cyber crime cell and local police, and the Director General of Police was supervising the probe.

Aam Aadmi Party Spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon had levelled the allegation against Mr Khadse last week.

The minister today also sought to know why no questions were being asked about former AAP leader Anjali Damania's alleged dubious land deals in Raigad district.

Ms Menon had alleged, citing the call records obtained from a Pakistani telecom company by an Ahmedabad-based hacker, that calls were made from Dawood's house in Karachi to a mobile number registered in Mr Khadse's name.

Mr Khadse had later rubbished the allegation saying the number was not in use for the last one year.

The minister today also said he took the help of BJP MLC Gurmukh Jagwani, who has relatives in Pakistan, to verify Dawood's address cited in documents produced by the AAP, but it proved to be "fictitious".
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