Anand Joshi, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, who was booked by the CBI under corruption charges went missing on Wednesday. According to his family members, Joshi left behind a letter to his wife Minakshi saying that he is being subjected to mental harassment. He also said that he is going away from the family and no one should make any attempts to look for him.
Joshi’s family has registered a complaint at the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad. He was last seen at 2 am on Wednesday morning . He was called for questioning for the first time by the CBI on Wednesday.
My husband was a patient of depression. We have checked with our relatives and friends, but he is still untraceable. He had shared with us that Ford Foundation offered him Rs 250 crore to aid the NGO. My husband has been wrongly implicated.Minakshi Joshi, Wife, Anand Joshi
A police team was rushed to the senior officer’s house and his wife’s statement was recorded. The police also took a copy of the note which Joshi left behind, a senior police official said.
I have been subjected to extreme mental harassment for the past few months, but now the situation has got out of hand. At this moment, I need peace and I cannot possibly find it here. I am leaving home and please do not look for me. You (Minakshi) are now both a father and a mother to our children. I never imagined that this would happen to me. I have served the nation with dedication and integrity. That’s why I have probably made too many enemies.Anand Joshi’s note, translated from Hindi
A corruption case was registered on Monday by the CBI against Joshi, for the alleged illegal possession of a file relating to actions under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) against activist Teesta Setalvad’s NGO Sabrang Trust.
Joshi, in his earlier interviews to the media, had accused his seniors of targeting him because he refused to go soft on Ford Foundation.
He also said that he was offered around Rs 200-250 crore to remove Ford Foundation from a blacklist. But when he refused to do so, a complaint was lodged against him with the PMO. Joshi also said that Additional Secretary BK Prasad pressurised him to give a clean chit to Ford Foundation. In fact, just 15 days before the CBI case, Prasad threatened Joshi with arrest and incarceration if he did not listen to him, said Joshi.
Prasad, who is heading the Foreigners Division, handling NGOs and issues related to FCRA, denied the allegations levelled against him.
According to the CBI, during searches conducted at Joshi’s residence and office, Rs 7.5 lakh (approx) in cash and certain incriminating documents, including files pertaining to the MHA and Ministry of I&B were recovered.
We have no idea why Joshi has gone missing. It is the duty of the local police to search him.CBI sources
The police, as of now , is still clueless about Joshi’s whereabouts.
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