GUWAHATI: Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a senior Air Force officer for allegedly posing as Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
IAF Wing Commander Kuldeep Baghela, posed as Shah in a phone call to state Governor Lalji Tandon to facilitate his friend's appointment as the vice-chancellor of a medical university, an official said on Friday.
Baghela, currently posted at the IAF headquarters in Delhi, and his Bhopal-based dentist friend Chandresh Kumar Shukla, were arrested for posing as Shah and his personal assistant.
In an interview to PTI, Additional Director General (ADG), STF, Ashok Awasthi said, Baghela had recommended Shukla's name to the governor for the post of the vice-chancellor of the Jabalpur-based Madhya Pradesh Medical Science University (MPMSU).
"We have arrested IAF Wing Commander Kuldeep Baghela on the charge of impersonating as Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a phone call to the state governor to influence the appointment for the post of vice-chancellor," he said.
"His dentist friend Dr Chandresh Kumar Shukla has also been arrested. Both of them are in the age group of 35 to 40 years," Awasthi added.
He added that Baghela was earlier posted as the aide-de-camp (ADC) to former MP governor Ramnaresh Yadav for three years.
Talking about Shukla, Awasthi said that was aspiring to become the Vice Chancellor of the MPMSU and had applied for it.
The ADG said that Shukla had contacted Baghela expressing his wish to become the V-C of the university and had also told him that it could only be done if a senior leader recommended his name.
"Later, both of them hatched a conspiracy and called the state governor (Lalji Tandon). While Shukla posed as Amit Shah's PA, Baghela impersonated as the union home minister and talked to the governor," Mr Awasthi said.
(With inputs from PTI)