A letter purporting to be from an officer of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s Kolkata branch supposedly addressed to the Home Ministry, alleging political interference and seeking to withdraw themself from the investigation of the rape and murder of a junior doctor, is fake and has been rubbished by the investigating agency as a fabrication.
The viral letter, which began circulating on Tuesday, has been attributed to one Dr. Akash Nag and claiming to be the DIG, Joint Director, Crime Branch, Kolkata and has been addressed to the Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The letterhead on the fabricated letter states 'Central Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Deputy Inspector General, Anti Corruption Branch, Kolkata,' and also sports the agency's emblem at the top.
A 31-year old trainee doctor was raped and murdered while on night shift duty at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024. The victim, a second-year MD student in the Chest Medicine department, was found murdered in the hospital's seminar hall. The tragic crime has sparked nationwide protests by the medical fraternity and civil society groups calling for safety of women in India.
The incident has also led to widespread criticism of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress Party and Kolkata Police's handling of the case. The case has also been mired in misinformation, rumours and conspiracy theories alleging a cover-up.
The fake letter sought permission to relieve the author of the letter from the investigation. It also alleged without any proof to support the same that the murder was "meticulously orchestrated with the direct involvement of four on-duty hospital doctors and was carried out under the influence of politically connected individuals".
Note, no proof backing up the above allegation is cited in the letter.
The fake letter is being shared on WhatsApp, X and Facebook.
Click here to view one such post and here for an archive.
FACT CHECK
The Central Bureau of Investigation took to its social media handles to denounce the letter and dub it as fake, on August 20, 2024.
The agency in its statement called the contents of the letter false and said it "vehemently denied" the same.
The CBI also clarified that the investigation in the case was being carried out by the CBI-headquartered in Delhi and not Kolkata.
It further said that there is no officer by name and designation of 'Dr. Akash Nag, DIG, Joint Director, Crime Branch, ACB, Kolkata.'
The statement said the following: "A fake letter in the name of a person named Dr Akash Nag and claiming to be DIG, Joint Director, Crime Branch, Kolkata under the official banner "Central Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Deputy Inspector General, Anti Corruption Branch, Kolkata" and addressed to Union Home Secretary is circulating in Social Media through Whatsapp, etc, about the case related to rape and murder of a trainee doctor of RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata. It is clarified that the said letter is fake one. The investigation of the case is being handled by CBI Headquarter, Delhi. Moreover, there is no officer in CBI by the name and designation of Dr. Akash Nag, DIG, Joint Director, Crime Branch, ACB, Kolkata. The contents of said letter are false and hence vehemently denied."
"The general public and all stake holders are advised to ignore the said letter or any similar mischievous communications. It is reiterated that CBI is conducting investigation of the case observing all standard procedures and with thorough professionalism," the statement further added.
BOOM also found a Facebook post, carrying the fake letter and screenshot of a LinkedIn profile of Dr. Akash Nag, where he described himself as a 'Senior Forensic Scientist', CBI and The West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata have also been listed in his bio.
The profile has since been deactivated.
We found an X profile going by the same name of Dr. Akash Nag and also using photographs of the same man.
Nag confirmed that the LinkedIn profile was his and that he deactivated it after the letter went viral. He denied writing the viral fake letter. He also claimed that he trained in forensics with the CBI for six months and that he currently runs a private practice.
He also said his signature was different from the viral letter.
However, BOOM could not rule out his involvement behind the fake letter.