Delhi man booked by CBI for misusing PM Modi’s name in emails to Indian agencies, Pentagon

The CBI has now booked Kohli for offences punishable under Section 62 read with Sections 319(2) and 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2010

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked a man for allegedly writing e-mails to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and even the Pentagon, falsely claiming that he had the “blessings” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help the government build an indigenous military jet engine, CNN-News18 reported.

The FIR said the emails involved misuse of the Prime Minister’s name.

The FIR has been lodged an year after these e-mails were reportedly sent by a man named Nisheeth Kohli, who lives in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area. According to the complaint lodged by the PMO in March, it received a copy of an email that Kohli had circulated to multiple government of India offices.

“Kohli, vide his e-mail, has claimed that he wanted to help the Government of India to explore the development of an indigenous military jet engine. He further mentioned the name of Shri PK Mishra, Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi, to validate his credentials, and that he has the blessings and best wishes of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to proceed with this project. Prima facie, this appears to be a case of misuse of the name of the Principal Secretary to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the name of the Hon’ble Prime Minister himself for professional purposes,” the CNN-News18 report quoted the CBI FIR.

A preliminary enquiry by the CBI found that Kohli had emailed Premier Explosives Limited, the director of the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), and the ISRO chairman, expressing his willingness to help the government examine the development of an indigenous military jet engine.

In another email to the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) director, the HAL India chairman and the ISRO chairman, Kohli identified himself as a textile chemistry engineer from the Technological Institute of Textile and Sciences (TITS), Bhiwani (2002 batch). He said that if allowed to put forward his proposal, he could help ISRO, DRDO and the Government of India develop an indigenous military jet engine.

Kohli also sent out a mail to Vice Admiral George M Wikoff, a high-ranking United States Navy officer posted at the Pentagon, mentioning the same details.

The CBI has now booked Kohli for offences punishable under Section 62 read with Sections 319(2) and 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2010.