Woman who had accused minister Gore of harassment arrested for ‘extortion’

Pune: A woman who had accused Maharashtra minister Jaykumar Gore of harassment has been arrested for allegedly trying to extort ₹3 crore to settle the matter, police said on Friday.

Gore, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who represents the Man assembly constituency in western Maharashtra’s Satara district, is the minister of rural development and panchayati raj.

The local crime branch has arrested the woman, whose identity was not disclosed, from a lawyer’s office in Satara on Friday, an official said.

“She had demanded ₹3 crore to end the case related to her allegations against Jaykumar Gore. She was caught red-handed while accepting ₹1 crore of the total amount. Police are questioning her,” the official said, adding that the accused had allegedly threatened to file a rape case against Gore if he failed to comply.

Officials also recovered audio recordings of calls made by the woman on March 17 and March 19, where she discussed the extortion plan with her lawyer.

Arun Devkar, inspector, local crime branch, Satara, said, “Considering the large sum involved, MLA Gore requested two more days to arrange the money from his friends and relatives. On Friday, police set a trap and arrested the woman while she was accepting ₹1 crore in cash.”

Satara City Police Station has filed a case under Sections 61(2), 308(2) (3) (4) (5) (6), 351(3), and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Meanwhile, the Opposition has been demanding Gore’s resignation over allegations of harassing the woman and sending her objectionable photos, while the minister has dismissed the charges asserting that he was acquitted by a court in the case long ago.

A case under Section 354 (molestation) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against him in 2017, but the trial court acquitted him in 2019, the BJP leader said, adding that the court also ordered that the material seized during the probe be destroyed.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Rohit Pawar, meanwhile, asked why money was being paid to the woman in the first place, and what was its source.

“The sum of ₹3 crore is huge. Why was ₹1 crore given to the woman? What did she have in her possession that required that she be paid money? From where did ₹1 crore come from? If you are so clean, you could have ignored (her alleged threats),” Pawar said, speaking to reporters at the legislature complex in Mumbai.

The minister has moved a breach of privilege motion against Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and Rohit, accusing them of defaming him by raking up the old case.

Tushar Kharat, a journalist with a local news channel, was held earlier this month for allegedly making derogatory remarks against an aide of Gore. Police also booked him in a case of attempt to extort ₹5 crore from the minister.

The Satara police had arrested Kharat, the editor of Lay Bhari, a YouTube channel, from Mumbai.