Three MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reportedly fall prey to the Ahmedabad-based fraudster who promised them ministership in the Shinde-Fadnavis government. Online transactions were made by these MLAs after receiving several phone calls with promising words from a man who impersonated himself as BJP National President J P Nadda. The accused, identified as Neeraj Singh Rathod, a resident of Morbi, Ahmedabad, was arrested by Nagpur Police from his residence, on Tuesday. The cops bundled him in a police jeep and started for Nagpur.

 

They were likely to reach Nagpur on Wednesday late evening. Nagpur Police initiated the action on the complaint by MLA Vikas Kumbhare (Central Nagpur). Besides Kumbhare, the conman had made phone calls to MLAs Tekchand Savarkar (Kamptee), Tanaji Mutkule (Hingoli), Narayan Kuche (Badnapur), Pravin Arlekar (Goa), and Basha Mowachang (Nagaland) and offered them ministerships in exchange of money. In the case of MLA Kumbhare, the fraudster, who claimed to be Personal Assistant of BJP National President J P Nadda, promised him Urban Development Ministry in Maharashtra Government. Another fraudster, pretending to be Nadda himself, joined the conversation. Kumbhare expressed his interest in a portfolio related to city development. And just like that, the fraudster offered him the post of cabinet minister of Urban Development in the Shinde-Fadnavis government.

 

Two days later, the same fraudster called Kumbhare to say that Nadda was no longer keen to offer the Urban Development Department. Instead, Kumbhare was offered the Excise Department. But that’s not all. The fraudster also brazenly inquired whether Kumbhare could help financially to form the BJP government in Karnataka. Kumbhare received a call from someone claiming to be Nadda himself. During the interaction, ‘Nadda’ asked Kumbhare to make arrangements for food at a grand RSS event being held in Ahmedabad. Later, a caterer phoned Kumbhare and asked to pay a bill of Rs 1.67 lakh, and shared a link for the payment transaction. Kumbhare was quick to realise that something was amiss and promptly reported the incident to the police. Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar dispatched a squad from Nagpur to arrested the accused from Gujarat.