Mumbai Crime Branch arrests 4

The Anti-Extortion cell, Mumbai Police, has arrested four for attempting to dupe 3 BJP MLAs of Rs 100 crore to facilitate ministerial berths.

o The Anti-Extortion cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested four for attempting to dupe 3 BJP MLAs of Rs 100 crore 

o The four tried providing ministerial berths in the Maharashtra government to MLAs in exchange for large sums of money.

The Anti-Extortion cell of Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has arrested four for attempting to dupe 3 BJP MLAs of Rs 100 crore for facilitating ministerial berths in the newly formed Maharashtra government. The accused were named Riyaaz Sheikh, Yogesh Kulkarni, Sagar Sangwai & Jaffar Usmani, Mumbai Crime Branch confirmed.

Rahul Kul, BJP MLA from Daund, one of the MLAs who was contacted, said that he swiftly alerted the police after receiving a call from the accused, who claimed he can obtain a ministerial post for him. Kul said that a few days ago, he received a call from a man who said that he can help him get a ministerial post. He quickly alerted the police as well as Devendra Fadnavis. 

The accused have been arrested and police are inquiring into how many more people the accused contacted.

Police confirmed that the accused called BJP MLA Kul on July 12, however, when he did not answer the call, his PA was contacted on July 16. The police said that one of the four accused told the PA that he had come from Delhi to meet the MLA. After discussing the exchange with the MLA, the PA called the accused out to Nariman Point for a meeting, during which Kul said he can only pay Rs 90 crore. In response, the accused asked for Rs 18 crore in advance. 

MLA Kul agreed and told him to come to Trident Hotel the following day and take the money. Simultaneously, he informed the police. The accused was taken into custody as soon as he arrived at the hotel at 1.30 pm, said the police. At the hotel, fellow BJP MLA, Jaykumar Gore, was also present apart from MLA Kul and his PA.

The accused have been identified as Riyaaz Sheikh (41), Sagar Sangwan (37), Yogesh Kulkarni (57), Jaffar Ahmed, and Rashid Ahmed Usmani (53), crime branch officials said.

During interrogation, Sheikh named three other accused, who were then captured from Nagpada in the South of Mumbai and belong to neighboring Thane early on Tuesday.

Kulkarni and Sangwai were arrested in Thane; they also named Usmani from Nagpada, officials said. The accused were arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including cheating, while further investigation is going on.