In an alleged illegal phone tapping case, the Police on Sunday beefed up security outside the residence of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of recording his statement.
The south Mumbai police and the BKC cyber police had issued a notice to former Maharashtra chief minister Fadnavis, asking him to appear before them on Sunday in connection with the case. Later Fadnavis said that a senior police officer called to inform him that police will visit his residence to take the required information and there was no need for him to visit the police station.
Phones of political leaders, including state Congress chief Nana Patole, minister Bachchu Kadu, former MLA Ashish Deshmukh, former MP Sanjay Kakade and others were tapped illegally by IPS officer Rashmi Shukla, when she was the state intelligence chief, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had alleged last month.
A case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at the BKC cyber police station here last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents. The complaint was lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID). However, before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had leaked the confidential report. Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID.
She found herself at the centre of controversy after Fadnavis cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department. The letter also had details of intercepted phone calls, leading to an uproar with leaders of the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permission.
