Ex-DGP Charged with Extortion, Implicating Politicians

An FIR has been filed by Thane city police against former Maharashtra DGP Sanjay Pandey and six others, including retired police officers and businessmen, based on a complaint by businessman Sanjay Punamiya. The complaint alleges harassment, extortion, forgery, and the reopening of an old case from 2016 to fabricate evidence and frame high-profile political figures in a land scam. The accused are charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, and forgery. Notably, Punamiya claims he was pressured to implicate Maharashtra's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made yet. Pandey has expressed his intention to fight the allegations legally.