Mumbai, Feb 13: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned Nashik Local Crime Branch (LCB) Inspector Ravindra Magar for over seven hours in connection with the Igatpuri fake call centre case. Magar was jointly interrogated with Palghar Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Bharat Patil for more than five hours on February 3, officials confirmed.
Magar, currently posted with the Nashik Crime Branch, has been identified by the agency as one of the alleged beneficiaries who not only provided protection to the fake call centre but is also suspected of having received monetary benefits linked to its operations. The fraudulent centre was allegedly shifted last July from a Saphale farmhouse in Palghar to a rainforest resort in Igatpuri.
Patil, currently posted at the Palghar police control room, has been identified by officials as being under scrutiny for his alleged role in handling cash transactions, which were purportedly linked to the call centre syndicate and certain senior functionaries.
During the interrogation, Magar was questioned about his alleged contact with Vishal Yadav, an arrested operative of the fake call centre, and the role he may have played. Sources said that in his statement, Magar acknowledged meeting Yadav three to four times at the Nashik Rural LCB office in July and August last year, prior to the CBI busting the fake call centre on August 8, purportedly on Patil’s reference. He stated that Yadav described the operation as a “pharma company call centre” operating from a rainforest property in Igatpuri and sought local support to ensure smooth functioning in case of contingencies, assuring that he would “take care” of him.
Upon being asked why he followed Patil’s instructions and extended support, Magar reportedly told investigators that he followed Patil’s instructions due to their long-standing professional association and alignment with trusted colleagues close to senior leadership. He is understood to have told investigators that when officers are transferred or take up new positions, they often align with trusted colleagues privy to confidential matters. Magar reportedly stated that he did not want to lose his position in the LCB, be replaced or be sidelined from assignments linked to higher command responsibilities.
Sources indicated that Magar acknowledged Patil’s role in operational coordination and alleged collection-related matters during the tenure of SP Balasaheb Patil in Palghar. Magar claimed he acted on Patil’s instructions, believing he was managing work on behalf of the SP.
Senior officials familiar with the probe, speaking anonymously, said the CBI had cited a senior police officer’s role in documents submitted to a special CBI court in Pune during Vishal Yadav’s bail hearing, which the court rejected in December last year. Investigators indicated that the documents placed on record revealed that the relocation of the call centre from Saphale to the rainforest resort in Igatpuri allegedly took place after a senior officer instructed the fake call centre operators, including absconding accused Sandeep Singh and arrested accused Vishal Yadav, to shift their base. Sources said the timing of the move coincided with the period around which the senior officer’s transfer came into effect. According to investigators, the entire infrastructure was relocated almost immediately after the transfer, suggesting pre-planned coordination to ensure continuity of operations.
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SP Balasaheb Patil is currently under the scanner in the case. The CBI had earlier questioned him and later conducted a joint interrogation with Patil and Magar as part of the ongoing probe. During questioning, he denied knowledge of the Igatpuri operations, claiming he had taken charge as Nashik (Rural) SP only days before the CBI raid. However, the agency confronted him with evidence linking the Igatpuri call centre to his tenure in Palghar, where absconding accused fake call centre operatives had previously operated the same module.
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