Man nabbed from Pune in a 'cash for transfer' case

Days after arresting four people in a cash-for-transfer racket, Crime Branch officers nabbed one more person related to the case on Saturday. The gang used to approach senior police officers and demand money in lakhs in return for lucrative postings. They posed as officials who had good contacts in the Mantralaya. Kamlesh Kanade (29), who was recently arrested, was also in touch with some of the cops.

According to sources, the kingpin of the racket stayed at a five-star hotel in the suburbs for almost a week, during which many senior officers met him for transfers. Cops are checking the CCTV footage of the hotel to see who met the accused.

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Officers of unit 8 of the Crime Branch had arrested Ravindrasingh Yadav alias Sharma and Vidyasagar Hirmukhe from the same hotel on May 31. Thereafter, the team also nabbed accused Kishore Mali and Vishal Ombale. DCP Namdev Chavan from Solapur had busted the racket when he was approached by Mali and asked to meet him.

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Following interrogation of the arrested, cops nabbed Kanade from Pune. He was also reportedly in touch with some of the officers for transfers. Meanwhile, sources are of the opinion that Sharma was staying in the hotel from May 23 and many senior cops met him.