By India Today News Desk: Neeraj Singh Rathod, a man from Gujarat’s Morbi arrested for allegedly duping some Maharashtra BJP MLAs by taking money from them, was in touch with 28 legislators from several states, the police said today. Rathod is accused of demanding money from the MLAs on the promise of ministerial berths in the Eknath Shinde-led government.
The man posed as BJP chief JP Nadda’s personal assistant and demanded money from four party MLAs in Maharashtra – Vikas Kumbhare, Tekchand Savarkar, Tanaji Mutkule and Narayan Kuche.
Fresh developments revealed not just MLAs in Maharashtra, Rathod was in touch with legislators from other states like West Bengal, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Delhi.
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The matter came to light when BJP MLA Vikas Kumbhare’s personal assistant filed a complaint against Rathod for calling Kumbhare multiple times and asking for money. He reportedly offered Kumbhare the post of urban development minister in the Maharashtra cabinet.
Rathod called three MLAs by pretending to be the personal assistant of BJP president JP Nadda, the complaint said. Rathod modulated his voice to sound like JP Nadda, and tried to lure his targets for money, it added.
Neeraj Rathod was arrested by the Delhi Police in a similar case last year, an official said. He had cheated a BJP MLA from Delhi by offering him a role linked with the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
A case has been registered against Rathod under Sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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