Nagpur: A significant breakthrough has been made in an extortion case where an individual posed as the Personal Assistant (PA) of BJP National President J P Nadda. The suspect, identified as Niraj Singh Rathod, who had completed his education up to Std XII, was apprehended in Ahmedabad by the Nagpur Police Crime Branch. It is alleged that Rathod had attempted to extort crores of rupees from Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) by promising them ministerial positions with recommendations from the senior leader.
Rathod was produced before a court in Nagpur and has been remanded in the custody of the Crime Branch until May 22. Further interrogation will be conducted to gather more information about Rathod’s activities and determine if he had any accomplices.
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Friday 27 Dec. 2024
According to call details obtained during the investigation, Rathod had contacted at least 17 MLAs from various parts of the country, luring them with promises of securing ministerial berths. These MLAs were from different political backgrounds. It is important to note that these claims were made by Rathod and not officially endorsed by the BJP or J P Nadda.
One of the MLAs targeted by Rathod was Central Nagpur BJP MLA Vikas Kumbhare, who exposed the extortion attempt. Kumbhare revealed that Rathod had repeatedly demanded Rs 1.67 crore from him, promising a Cabinet berth as the Rural Development Minister. Rathod convinced Kumbhare to contribute the amount to support a financially weak Assamese leader’s election campaign.
Rathod’s modus operandi also involved contacting another BJP MLA from Nagpur, requesting a contribution for food arrangements during a national party meeting. These calls were made using the guise of being associated with the senior BJP leader.
The Nagpur Police Chief, Amitesh Kumar, coordinated efforts to arrest Rathod after tracing his location through an analysis of call records. A team from the Crime Branch was dispatched to Ahmedabad, where Rathod was eventually apprehended.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Rathod collected the extortion payments from the MLAs through a mobile money app. Additionally, it was revealed that Rathod had received sponsored air tickets to Delhi from a politician in Kerala.
The authorities are also investigating the possibility that Rathod either had someone impersonating the senior BJP leader or was mimicking the leader himself during the phone calls with the MLAs. This aspect will be thoroughly examined during the ongoing investigation.
The arrest of Niraj Singh Rathod marks a significant step towards curbing extortion attempts and impersonation schemes. The Nagpur Police Crime Branch is determined to uncover the full extent of Rathod’s activities and bring any additional individuals involved in the scheme to justice.
