Maharashtra: Cops visit office of Pune firm managing Ajit Pawar's poll campaign on concluding day

Pune, Jan 13 (PTI) Crime Branch officials visited the Pune office of a political campaign management company working for Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Tuesday, following information about purported suspicious activity.

However, nothing objectionable was found, police said.

Pawar and the Pune Police Commissioner have separately confirmed the visit of police officials to the office of Designboxed in Vakdewadi-Shivajinagar area, coinciding with the last day of campaigning for the municipal corporation elections.

DesignBoxed Managing Director, Naresh Arora, said the crime branch officials asked his staff about the nature of work they are doing for the NCP and demanded certain documents and phone numbers, while he was busy at a press conference of the NCP.

Crime Branch personnel visited the Pune office of Naresh Arora and his organisation, Designboxed, to seek information, Pawar stated on the social media platform X.

DesignBoxed Innovations is a creative political digital campaign management company in engagement-driven digital media campaigns. The company handled the NCP campaign for the civic polls.

"All the required information was provided during the process, and full cooperation was extended to the officials. No objectionable matter or any irregularity was found in the course of this process," Pawar said.

He stated that the NCP stands firmly with Naresh Arora and Designboxd in the matter. He added that the party respects the rule of law and believes in cooperating with all statutory and legal procedures.

"In this case as well, complete cooperation has been extended to the concerned agencies," Pawar added.

The deputy chief minister also appealed against the spread of confusion, rumours or what he described as unnecessary narratives over the development, asserting that any conclusions should be drawn strictly based on facts.

The NCP is putting forth a position on this issue with restraint, responsibility and clarity, he said.

Notably, the Nationalist Congress Party, an alliance partner in the Mahayuti, is contesting against the BJP in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation elections.

Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said an officer and two policemen were sent to the location ( the office of DesignBoxed) after information was received about alleged suspicious activity, but nothing objectionable was found.

"Some information was received about suspicious activity going on at a location in the jurisdiction of the Pune Commissionerate. Immediately, a team comprising one officer and two policemen was rushed to the spot to verify it," Kumar said.

He added that during the verification, nothing objectionable was noticed either at the premises or with the people working there. "Thereafter, the team left immediately. Nothing adverse was noticed," he added.

Addressing a press conference, DesignBoxed MD Naresh Arora said crime branch personnel visited the office of the company in the evening.

Arora and other senior staffers were not present in the office as they were busy at the press conference of the NCP.

Arora said the crime branch officials questioned the staff about the nature of work carried out in the office. They also sought to know the nature of work related to the NCP, he said.

"Our staff responded and gave whatever information they wanted. The team sought some documents and some phone numbers, to which our staff members told them that they could not give the information since the senior staff was not at the office," said Arora.

He added that the staff sought their identity, to which the officials responded that they are from the crime branch.

Arora said the officials sought the phone number of one of our senior colleagues, Aman.

"The staff told them that they would help them speak to him over the phone, but they refused. We got to know that the team had come based on some information they had received. The police team left their number with the staff. We have been trying to call on that number, but no one is responding," he said.

Arora said they are extending all cooperation. PTI SPK NSK