BHOPAL: Crime branch police have arrested five people, who allegedly forged letterheads of MPs and MLAs recommending transfers of state government officials.
Two of the accused had worked at bungalows of politicians and were well acquainted with the process of transfer, said police on Wednesday. They had convinced as many as 30 government officials to get them transferred to their desired place.
Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Gopal Dhakad said that the accused would drop the letters of recommendation in the drop box at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
The crime branch began quizzing the officials whose names were recommended for the transfer in the forged letterheads.
The police zeroed in on the prime accused Ramprasad Rahi aka Guptaji, who had allegedly forged signatures of the elected public representatives on the letterheads. The other accused Lakhanlal would mark the dispatch number on these letterheads. All the money collected through this illegal means was deposited in his bank account.
The other accused Ramkrishna Rajput and his maternal uncle Dashrath Rajput, who is a computer operator, made all the fake letterheads.
The fifth accused Ramgopal Parashar who is a peon with the education department had accessed the letterheads of the politicians. These stolen letterheads were used for making the forged ones.
Police said Parashar had also worked with MLA Rampal Singh and had accessed the letterhead of the legislator. He sold the copies to the other accused for Rs 5,000.
The cops have also found several other letterheads from the accused and it is likely that they may have duped several other officials. The crime branch officials said the accused had contacted the government officials through their friends. They managed to convince them to get them transferred to their desired place. The accused had taken Rs 70,000 from the government official and the remaining amount was to be given after the transfer order was issued.
Dhakad said that the forged letterheads recommending transfers were dropped into box at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
The CMO officials, while going through the recommendation letters, detected some irregularities and they contacted the concerned elected public representatives, a week ago. It then came to fore that the MPs and MLAs had not sent any such recommendation letter. A complaint was subsequently lodged with the police.
Dhakad said that those government officials are being quizzed. All the accused are on police remand and the cops are trying to ascertain the number of people they have duped. They are also inquiring if any transfer order was released on the basis of the forged letterheads.
The accused & their roles
Prime Accused: Ramprasad Rahi aka Guptaji, forged signatures of the elected public representatives on the fake letterheads
Accused No 2: Lakhanlal marked the dispatch number on the forged letterheads and money collected through the illegal means was deposited in his account
Accused No 3 & 4: Ramkrishna Rajput and his maternal uncle Dashrath Rajput, who is a computer operator, prepared all the fake letterheads
Accused 5: Ramgopal Parashar, a peon with the education department, had procured letterheads of the politicians. He had also worked with MLA Rampal Singh and had accessed his letterheads
