Mumbai: Mumbai police will take the help of handwriting experts in the “Shifu Sunkriti” case to ascertain signatures on two cheques of Rs 15 lakh seized from cult guru, Sushil Kulkarni. The experts’ analysis may help the police in building a concrete case against Kulkarni at a time when its probe has drawn a blank in terms of evidence to prove that Kulkarni was running a sex-cum-narcotics racket in the guise of spiritual activities.
Currently, the probe falls in the ambit of cheating and forgery with investigators establishing as false Kulkarni’s claims of being a doctor and administering anti-depressants. Crime branch officials claimed that the cheques bore signatures of the victims - two sisters from Malad - despite them denying signing any cheques. The cheques were seized following a raid at Kulkarni’s suburban Mumbai residence when officials also seized antidepressant tablets Tryptom-ER 10gm.
The Asian Age had reported on April 25 that crime branch officials seized two chequebooks along with signed cheques belonging to the two sisters, whose parents approached the high court, seeking investigation against Shifu Sunkriti founder, Kulkarni.
A senior IPS officer requesting anonymity said, “During interrogation, Kulkarni claimed that he had not forged the signatures. In their statements, the two sisters claimed that they did not remember signing any cheques for Kulkarni. A report from a handwriting expert will help find the truth behind the claims.”
Kulkarni had sought sponsorships from event and semi-educational companies for his venture and had also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a firm in lieu of part payments. The IPS officer said, “We suspect that he was in need of more funds for the same and the cheques were probably to be used for that. However, the actual motive behind Kulkarni’s activities is still unclear.”
