MUMBAI, Jan. 11 -- Just days before she retired as Maharashtra's director general of police (DGP) on January 3, Rashmi Shukla submitted a report to the state government, alleging that senior IPS officer and former DGP Sanjay Panday had plotted to frame senior political leaders, Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, in the high-profile 2016 urban land ceiling (ULC) scam. The report states that Panday, who has also served as Mumbai's police commissioner, had pressured two Thane police officers and two arrested accused to implicate Fadnavis and Shinde in the case, alleging that they had extorted money from builders. Pandey had also exerted pressure on the officers to arrest the two senior politicians in 2021. Fadnavis, now chief minister heading the BJP-led Mahayuti government, was then leader of the opposition, and Shinde, now deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief, was then urban development minister when the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government was in power. Shukla didn't respond to attempts by HT to reach out to her, while Panday said, "She can submit any report she pleases. I don't want to comment.'' The case in question relates to a multi-crore scam, where builders in Thane had fraudulently benefitted under the Urban Land Ceiling Act (ULC). Shukla's report, which has surfaced in the run-up to crucial municipal elections in Mumbai, Thane and elsewhere in the state, alleged that Panday had instructed Thane deputy commissioner of police Laxmikant Patil, and assistant commissioner of police Sardar Patil, to arrest Fadnavis and Shinde in the ULC case. The report also mentions an audio clip submitted by businessman Sanjay Punamia, who was arrested in the matter. The recording purportedly captured an alleged conversation between Panday, Sardar Patil and Laxmikant Patil, discussing plans to implicate Fadnavis and Shinde. In the report, Shukla claims that when Sanjay Punamia and Sunil Jain were arrested at the Kopri police station in Thane, they were questioned by Laxmikant Patil even though he was not directly connected to the case. Patil allegedly asked Punamia to state how much money Fadnavis had extorted from builders. Patil also allegedly instructed Punamia to make statements on camera, implicating Fadnavis and others, and pressured Sunil Jain to record his statement as directed. They were allegedly threatened with imprisonment and other consequences if they refused, the report states. Later, in August 2024, Punamia had registered an FIR, alleging that Pandey had initiated an illegal investigation against him, and extorted money from him and other businessmen by threatening to book them in false cases. In his police statement, Punamia claimed that when he was admitted to hospital in 2021, retired assistant commissioner of police Sardar Patil and two police officers had visited the hospital to record his statement. Punamia alleged that the officers said that Pandey had sent a message for him: Punamia's name would be cleared from the criminal case if he gave a statement implicating Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh in the ULC fraud. He said he flatly refused. In September 2024, the Thane sessions court granted Panday interim protection from arrest. Reacting to the report, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday, "During MVA rule, efforts were made to trap me in cases. The then CP (Panday) and other officers were given directives. Some false statements were taken. Now everything has been exposed." City BJP chief Ameet Satam said it was important to find out at whose behest Panday was acting. "A brain mapping test and a narco test must be done on Panday and the brain behind Panday must be exposed. I feel that Uddhav Thackeray had a secret hand behind Panday," he alleged. In defence of Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that Rashmi Shukla is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and was acting on behalf of the ruling BJP. "Her entire family works for the BJP. One cannot trust her report," Raut said....