Amravati divisional commissioner's son in CBI custody till May 28

PUNE: The CBI custody of Amravati divisional commissioner Ganesh Thakur's son Paresh Thakur (32) has been extended till May 28. Thakur, a resident of Kothrud, was arrested in an alleged cheating case.
CBI special public prosecutor Vivek Saxena told the court that Thakur, during interrogation, admitted to making 11 appointments at various districts by posing as the director of Maharashtra State Krishi Vikas Shilpa Kendra (KVSK).
According to Saxena, Thakur had disclosed that one Perukh Pastokiya had convinced him to become the state director while the appointment letter was issued by KVSK secretary S P Bagdi.
Saxena submitted that the custodial interrogation of Thakur was essential as he was not revealing the addresses and contact numbers of the 11 people who were appointed as district/regional directors in Maharashtra.
The prosecution sought time for examining and confronting co-conspirators named by Thakur and for recovering the rubber seal used on the KVSK letter heads and identifying persons responsible for printing the letter heads.
Thakur's lawyer Deepak Shamdire pleaded to sent Thakur to magisterial custody on the grounds that the court had given sufficient time to the CBI to conduct investigations.
On May 2, the CBI had registered a complaint of alleged cheating against Thakur who allegedly posed as director of Maharashtra State Krishi Vikas Shilpa Kendra authorized to implement the 20-point programme of a scheme under the government of India.
A verification conducted by the CBI revealed that no such organization had been authorized to implement the programme on behalf of the government.
The CBI said Thakur allegedly duped people by pretending to be the director and offering appointments as directors of the programme by taking money from them.
The incident came to light after Nashik-based medical practitioner Prasad Prabhakar Sonawane registered a complaint with the CBI accusing Thakur of taking Rs 3 lakh from him and issuing him a fake appointment letter as the district director of Nashik district for implementing the programme.